Xfr 

REESE   LIBRARY. 

OF    THE 

UNIVERSITY    OF   CALIFORNIA 

Received  ^J^t^L 

Accessions  N0,<£it4f&3J£@         Shelf  No. 


TO  OBTAIN   THE   BEST   RESULTS  IN 

ORANGE    CULTURE, 

USE 

H.  J.  Baker  &  Bro.'s 


JUSTLY  CELEBRATED 


A  Complete  Manure,  beneficial  alike  from  the  time  of  setting  out 
Orange  Trees  to  full  maturity,  furnishing  just  the  plant  food  the  tree 
requires.  It  stimulates  its  growth,  causing  an  increase  of  healthy 
wood,  imparting  a  rich,  dark  green  color  to  the  leaves,  and  largely  in- 
creasing the  yield  of  Oranges.  Its  effects  are  immediate,  and  can  be 
seen  in  a  few  weeks,  in  the  nourishing  and  improved  condition  of  the 
tree. 

This  is  no  theoretical  fertilizer,  but  is  the  result  of  years  of  prac- 
tical trial,  and  very  many  Orange  Growers,  who  have  used  it  for 
years,  can  testify  to  its  wonderful  effects. 

Mr.  C.  C.  PEASLET,  of  Lake  Maitland,  writes  :  "  In  reference  to 
your  Orange  Tree  Fertilizer,  I  would  say  that  I  have  had  charge  of 
from  eight  to  ten  Orange  Groves  for  the  last  ten  years,  have  tried 
all  the  fertilizers  in  the  market  and  have  foupd  rone  better  than 
yours." 

ONE    TRIAL   WILL    CONVINCE. 


Send  for  descriptive  pamphlet  to 

P.  McQUAID,  Jacksonville,  Fla., 

where  a  full  supply  of  this  Fertilizer  is  constantly  on  hand,  or  to 

H.  J.  BAKER  &  BRO.,  215  Pearl  St.,  New  York. 


LA  YISTOURSERY. 

Fruit  and  Ornamental 
Trees, 

SHRUBS,  ROSES,  ETC. 


Orange  Groves  Set  Out 
and  Warranted. 


Please  address 

McBRIDE  &   KINGSBURY, 
Jacksonville,  Florida, 

Post  Office  Box  2O1. 


STEAMBOATS    LAND    AT    NURSERY,    POINT 
LA   VISTA. 


LOOK  SI^TM/KM"  ONLY  $10. 

Silver  Springs  Park  is  situated  in  Marion  Co.,  100  miles  south  of 
Jacksonville,  and  in  the  immediate  vicinity  of  Silver  Springs  Lake,  one  of  the ' 
most  beautiful  and  noted  wonders  of  Florida.  Thousands  of  tourists  visit 
Silver  Springs  every  year.  High,  rolling,  first-class  lands.  No  swamps,  mos- 
quitoes, or  malaria.  No  more  beautiful  situation  can  be  found  in  Florida. 
Several  trains  daily  stop  at  our  commodious  depot  right  in  the  heart  of  the 
town.  A  saw-mill  in  the  town  supplies  lumber  at  reasonable  cost  to  builders. 

Houses,  Stores,  and  one  Hotel,  etc.,  already  built.  Several  miles  of  streets 
already  cleared. 

The  small  sum  of  $10  buys  one  of  the  best  lots,  40x100  feet.  A  bona-fide 
sale  and  Warranty  Deed  given.  Every  man,  woman,  and  child  should  own  a 
lot. 


A  PLAT  of  the  town,  showing  the  avenues,  streets,*  Prospect  Park,  school 
and  4  church  sites,  saw-mill,  depot,  etc.,  etc.,  will  be  mailed  FREE  to  appli- 
cant ;  also,  elegant  descriptive  book  of  Silver  Springs  Park,  with  numerous 
gravings,  and  a  fine  orange  grove  in  eight  brilliant  colors.  ALL  FREE. 


THE  SILVER  SPRINGS  PARK  FLORIDA  LAND  COMPANY, 

L.  IV.  MOWRY,  President, 

179  Broadway,  New  York. 


THE  NEW  DEPARTURE; 

OR, 

A  Natural  System  of  Learning  Writing,  Spelling, 
English  Grammar  and  Punctuation 

at  the  same  time. 
By   J.    D.    SIvOCUNt. 


"  The  New  Departure"  is  a  new  application  of  an  old  idea,  namely— that 
the  way  to  learn  to  do  a  thing  is  to  do  it. 

It  is  called  a  Natural  system,  because  the  most  essential  things  of  a  practic- 
ally valuable  education  are  learned  as  a  child  learns  to  walk  and  talk. 

It  consists  of  24  cards  and  a  tmall  chart,  the  whole  done  up  in  a  neat  and 
portable  case. 

By  means  of  the  matter  contained  thereon,  and  ita  arrangement,  any  per- 
son, with  pen  and  ink  or  pencil  may  in  a  very  small  portion  of  the  time  usually 
spent  in  acquiring  such  knowledge,  learn  to  write  well,  or  become  A  GOOD  PEN- 
MAN ;  TO  SPELL  ACCURATELY  a  vocabulary  of  several  hundred  of  ihe  most 
commonly  used  words  ;  to  write  the  language  correctly,  or  ENGLISH  GRAMMAR, 
and  to  point  properly  the  breaks  or  joints  of  a  sentence,  which  is  PUNCTUA- 
TION. Each  card  is  complete  in  itself,  and  has  arranged  on  one  side  of  it  a 
portion  of  a  vocabulary  or  list  of  several  hundred  such  words  as  a  person  in 
every-day  life  will  be  most  like.y  to  use. 

These  cards  are  to  be  copied,  for  the  purpose  of  learning  at  the  same  time 
to  write  and  to  spell  correctly.  This  is  the  only  useful  way  of  learning  to 
spell,  and  the  knowledge  of  Grammar  and  Punctuation  acquired  in  this  way 
will  be  much  more  permanent  than  by  the  ordinary  methods  of  the  text-books. 

fricef  $1.    Sent  to  any  address,  postpaid  on  receipt 
of  price. 

Published  by  E.  R.  PELTON  &  CO., 

.  25  Bond  Street,  New  York. 


RAINES    CITY. 

HEALTH,   WEALTH,    COMFORT. 
LOOK    HERE! 


H 


from  Tampa  about  70  miles,  and  from  Sanford  about  50  miles. 
The  site  of  this  town  commands  the  view  of  the  surrounding  country  for 
miles,  and  overlooks  three  beautiful,  clear  water  lakes  abounding  in  fish;  these 
lakes  afford  water  protection  for  the  oranges,  limes  and  tropical  fruits  which 
thrive  in  luxuriance  here. 

Being  situated  equi  distant  from  the  Gulf  and  Atlantic,  we  have  no 
bleak  winds,  but  the  trade  winds  blowing  over  miles  of  pine  and  oak  forest  are 
fraught  with  health  and  make  this  one  of  the  most  desirable  locations  in 
Florida  for  a  winter  home  where  health  and  prosperity  are  combined.  Sports- 
men in  search  of  any  kind  of  game,  from  the  majestic  buck  to  the  smaller  varir 
eties,  will  find  truly  a  sportsman  paradise  here  and  will  speak  in  glowing  terms 
of  their  sport,  and  the  healthfulness  of  this  locality. 

We  have  for  sale  the  following  desirable  pieces  of  property  in  and  around 
Haines  City: 

No.  1.— 200  choice  lots  in  Haines  City.    Price,  $25  to  $150  each. 
No.  5.— 1000  acres,  high  pine  land,  one  half  mile  to  two  miles  from  Haines  City, 

to  be  sold  in  to  suit  purchasers.    Price,  $10  to  $20  per  acre. 
No.  6. — 600  acres,  high  pine  and  oak  land,  three  to  four  miles  from  Haines  City, 

to  be  sold  in  a  body  or  in  forty  acre  lots,  at  $5  per  acre. 
No.  15.— Several  five  acre  lots  in  Knowltons,  addition  to  Haines  City,  best  pine 

and  oak  land.    Price,  $200  to  $400  each. 
No.  26.— 160  acres,  best  high  rolling  pine  land,  with  beautiful  lake  fronts,  five 

miles  from  Haines  City,  three  and  one  half  miles  from  R.  R.  Station. 

Price,  $10  per  acre. 

No.  31.— Eighty  acres  of  island,  best  high  pine,  one  and  one  half  miles  from 

Haines  City,  nice  lake  front.    Price,  $15  per  acre. 
No.  39.— Eighty  acres  adjoining  Haines  City,  high  pine  and  oak  land,  lake 

front.    Price,  $20  per  acre. 
No.  43.— Several  lots  of  from  one  to  six  acres  in  Hitts,  addition  to  Haines  City, 

beautiful  lake  fronts  and  views.    Price,  $40  to  $60  per  acre,  and  many 

other  desirable  tracts  too  numerous  to  mention  in  the  limits  of  this  page. 

FOR  REFERENCES: 

GEN.  W.  M.  LEDW1TH,  Jacksonville,  Fla. 

CAPT.  W.  J.  JARVIS,  Supt.  J.  St.  A.  &  A.  R.  R.,  St.  Augustine,  Fla. 
CAPT.  P.  McQUAlD,  Wholesale  Grain  Dealer,  Jacksonville,  Fla. 
HON.  JOHN  BRYAN,  Kissimmee.  Fla. 
HON.  JOHN  T.  WAFFORD,  Ft.  Mason,  Fla. 
Address 

F\   J.    HINSON, 

HAINES  CITY,  Polk  County,  Florida. 


Flerida  Real  Estate. 

W.  &  W.  S.  WALKER, 

64  West  Bay  Street,  Jacksonville,  Florida, 

Have  for  sale,  on  the  most  favorable  terms,  every  variety  of 

IMPROVED  AND  UNIMPROVED  LANDS, 

ORANGE  GROVES  AND  TRUCK  FARMS, 

Ranging  in  prices  from  a  few  hundred  dollars  to  $5O,OOO. 


These  lands  are  very  desirable  because  of  their  admirable  location. 
The  following  are  a  few  of  the  many  places  on  our  books : 
25  5  and  10  acre  lots,  two  miles  from  Jacksonville,  very  choice  for  truck 
farming    or  orange    growing,   and  for    nice  homes.— Price,  $300.00  to  $1,000. 
Terms  very  easy.    120  acres  excellent  vegetable  land  three  and  a  half  miles  from 
Jacksonville.    This  tract  offers  rare  inducements  as  a  profitable  Investment,  AS 
IT  CAN  BE  SUBDIVIDED  INTO  5  ACRE  LOTS  for  small  farmers.     Price,  $15 
per  acre. 

A  SPLENDID  OPPORTUNITY 

For  a  colony,  in  the  following  6000  acres,  choice  farming  lands  on  the  F.  R.  &  N. 
—ten  miles  from  Jacksonville.    Price,  $2.00  per  acre  for  the  entire  tract.— Cash. 
16,500  acres  fine  pine  timbered  and  farming  lands.    Price,  65  cents. 

THERE  IS  RUT  ONE  FLORIDA 

AND 

RUT  ONE  RIVERSIDE, 

and  for  beauty  and  healthfulness  there  Is  no  location  In  the  State  comparableto  it. 
It  is  on  average  of  30  feet  higher  than  Bay  street,  right  on  a  bluff  of  the  beauti- 
ful St.  Johns,  and  where  for  six  months  of  the  year  you  are  rarely  ever  out  of 
sight  of  one  or  more  of  the  many  gay  steamers  that  float  upon  Its  placid  waters. 
In  this  suburb  we  still  have  for  sale  about  600  choice  lots,  100x125  feet,  with  street 
of  80  feet  width.  Prices  very  much  lower  than  any  other  Jacksonville  suburb. 

In  short  we  have  anything  in  the  way  of  Real  Estate  that  parties  may  desire 
from  a  thousand  dollars  to  first-class  residences.    Send  for  catalogues. 


TREATISE  AND  HAND-BOOK 


OF 


ORANGE  CULTURE 


IN 


FLORIDA,  LOUISIANA  AND 
CALIFORNIA, 


BY 

REV.    T  .    W  .    M  o  o  RE,    D  .  D . 
j^jj&  LIB^4^- 

([UNIVERSITY!) 

X^UFQRNlA-^/ 

^^^-£^--^^g>^ 

FOURTH    EDITION,    REVISED    AND    ENLARGED 


NEW  YORK: 
E.    R.     PELTON     &    CO. 

JACKSONVILLE : 

HORACE     DREW. 

1886. 


COPYRIGHT  BV 

E.    R.    PELTOH, 

1881. 


CONTENTS. 


PAGE 

PREFACE  TO  THE  SECOND  EDITION v 

PREFACE  TO  THE  FIRST  EDITION vii 

CHAPTER  I.— THE  PROFIT  OF  ORANGE  GROWING...   n 

CHAPTER  II.— OF  THE  SEVERAL  METHODS  OF  PLANTING  ORANGE 

GROVES 20 

CHAPTER  III.— THE  WILD  ORANGE  GROVE  BUDDED  22 

CHAPTER  IV.— GROVES  FROM  TRANSPLANTED  SOUR  STUMPS 30 

CHAPTER  V. — PLANTING  THE  ORANGE  SHED 36 

CHAPTER  VI.— BUDDING 41 

CHAPTER  VII. — ON    SELECTING  A  LOCATION  FOR  AN   ORANGE 

GROVE *.-t 47 

CHAPTER  VIII. — THE  ADVANTAGES  OF  PARTIAL  FOREST  SHELTER  54 

CHAPTER  IX.— "THE  FROST  LINE"  AND  "  THE  ORANGE  BELT  "  60 

CHAPTER  X.— THE  EFFECT  OF  FROST  ON  PLANTS 63 

CHAPTER  XI. — TRANSPLANTING 68 

CHAPTER  XII. — THE  DISTANCE  APART 72 

CHAPTER  XIII. — CULTIVATION 74 

CHAPTER  XIV.— THOROUGH  CULTIVATION '. 79 

CHAPTER  XV.— PRUNING 85 

CHAPTER  XVI.— FERTILIZING 90 

CHAPTER  XVII.— SPECIES,  VARIETIES,  ETC 99 

CHAPTER  XVIII.— THE  LEMON  AND  LIME 116 

CHAPTER  XIX.— THE  INSECTS  DAMAGING  TO  THE  ORANGK  TREE 
—THE  NATURAL  ENEMIES  OF  SUCH  INSECTS,  AND  THE  REME- 
DIES TO  BE  APPLIED 120 


iv  CONTENTS. 

PAGE 

CHAPTKR  XX. — DISEASES  TO  WHICH  THE  ORANGE  TREE  AND 

FRUIT  ARE  LIABLE,  AND  THEIR  REMEDIES 128 

CHAPTER  XXI.— RUST  ON  THE  ORANGE 133 

CHAPTER    XXII. — GATHERING,    PACKING,    AND    SHIPPING    THE 

ORANGE 138 

CHAPTER  XXIII. — CROPS  THAT  MAY  BE  GROWN  AMONG  THE  OR- 
ANGE TREES 144 

CHAPTER  XXIV. — OILS,  PERFUMES,  EXTRACTS,  ETC.,  FROM  THE 

CITRUS 147 

CHAPTER  XXV.— CONCLUSION 149 

APPENDIX 153 

COMMENDATIONS ..  182 


PREFACE   TO   THE   FOURTH   EDITION. 

foME  time  before  the  discovery  of  America  the 
sour  orange — the  brigerade — was  introduced 
into  Italy,  and  a  short  time  thereafter  it  was  carried 
to  Spain.  The  Spaniards  brought  this  variety  to 
Florida.  The  sweet  orange  was  then  unknown  in 
Europe.  Doubtless  the  Spanish  Catholic  mission- 
aries first  distributed  the  seed  of  the  brigerade — 
frequently  called  the  Seville  orange — in  the  vicinities 
of  the  Spanish  forts  and  missions.  As  the  fruit 
multiplied  the  seeds  were  scattered  by  the  Indians 
along  the  banks  of  the  rivers  near  their  camping 
grounds,  usually  points  projecting  into  the  rivers, 
Thence  they  were  scattered  throughout  the  State 
of  Florida. 

The  largest  of  these  wild  orange  groves,  twenty 
and  fifty  years  ago,  were  found  along  the  eastein 
and  southern  shores  of  rivers  and  lakes,  and  in 
the  hammock  and  swamp  lands  of  Florida.  In 
addition  to  the  protection  from  damage  by  the  frost 
to  the  young  plants,  afforded  by  the  water,  the  ham- 
mock and  swamp  lands  gave  protection  against  fires, 
which  annually  swept  over  the  pine- woods,  destroy- 
ing the  slow-growing  trees.  Some  of  these  wild 
groves  were,  -fifty  years  ago,  cut  down  and  the  land 
cleared  for  planting  corn,  cotton,  and  cane.  This 
was  repeated  as  late  as  twenty- five  years  ago,  before 
the  monetary  value  of  the  orange  was  appreciated  in 
this  country. 


vi    PREFACE  TO  THE  FOURTH  EDITION. 

One  hundred  years  after  America  was  discovered, 
the  sweet  orange  was  introduced  into  Europe. 
Later  it  was  brought  to  Florida,  and  a  few  trees 
were  planted  in  St.  Augustine,  and  afterward  in 
the  settlements  along  the  St.  John's  and  Indian 
rivers.  The  pollen  of  the  sweet  orange  fertilizing 
the  flowers  of  the  sour  produced  the  hybrid  "  bitter- 
sweet. ' '  At  the  close  of  the  Civil  War,  small 
plantations  of  sweet  oranges  were  found  throughout 
the  State,  consisting  usually  of  a  few  trees  growing 
around  dwellings.  There  were  a  few  groves  of 
larger  size,  ranging  from  four  hundred  trees  to  nine 
hundred,  in  the  vicinity  of  St.  Augustine  and  along 
the  St.  John's  River.  The  largest  in  the  State 
were  planted  by  Dr.  Speer  at  Fort  Reed,  near 
Mellonville,  and  the  Dummitt  Grove  on  Indian 
River. 

At  the  close  of  the  war  many  of  the  old  trees,  both 
sweet  and  wild,  were  bearing  liberal  crops  of  such 
fruit  as  travellers  from  all  parts  of  the  world  had 
never  before  eaten.  The  fruit  sold  at  good  prices. 
Some  of  those  who  had  lately  come  into  the  State 
thought  there  was  a  living  in  an  orange-grove. 
Land  was  bought,  and  planted  in  wild  sour  stumps. 
Seed-beds  were  planted  for  nursery  stock,  and  acres 
were  set  with  young  plants.  We  were  told  that  by 
the  time  our  trees  were  ready  to  bear"  we  would  be 
in  another  country  where  there  would  be  no  need 
of  planting.  We  answered  then  we  would  plant 
for  our  children.  We  were  told  that  by  the  time 
the  trees  were  in  full  bearing,  oranges  would  not 


PREFACE  TO  THE  FOURTH  EDITION,     vii 

be  worth  picking  in  Florida.  The  evil  prophecy 
failed.  Other  persons  caught  the  orange  fever, 
until  finally  the  old  prophets  were  converted,  and 
are  to-day  our  most  enthusiastic  orange-growers. 
To-day,  hundreds  of  thousands  of  trees  are  growing, 
and  tens  of  thousands  more  of  plants  are  ready  to 
be  set  in  groves. 

WILL   THE    BUSINESS    BE    OVERDONE  ? 

The  question  now  comes  up,  Will  not  the  busi- 
ness be  overdone  ?  We  answer,  No.  With  the 
small  area  within  the  United  States  capable  of 
producing  oranges,  this  will  be  impossible.  Canada 
and  the  United  States  are  rapidly  increasing  in 
population,  and  these  alone  could  consume  the 
entire  product  from  the  orange-growing  sections 
of  the  United  States.  But  the  Florida  orange  is  the 
finest  grown,  and  will  ultimately  command  the 
market  of  Europe  as  well  as  America. 

Occasionally  already  a  glut  in  the  market  has 
occurred,  but  this  has  been  in  each  instance  the 
result  of  (mainly)  a  double  fault  on  the  part  of  the 
producers.  They  have  attempted  to  narrow  the 
marketing  season  to  three  or  four  months,  when  it 
should  be  extended  over  from  eight  to  twelve  months. 
Oranges  will  remain  on  the  trees  in  good  condition 
six  months  after  they  have  turned  yellow.  Properly 
handled  and  cured,  they  will  keep  several  months 
after  they  have  been  clipped.  The  Florida  season 
for  marketing,  like  the  European,  should  embrace 
the  entire  year.  The  second  mistake,  to  which 
allusion  is  made,  was  the  result  of  the  destructive 


viii    PREFACE  TO  THE  FOURTH  EDITION. 

hurry  peculiar  to  Americans.  The  fruit  was  gath- 
ered green,  carelessly  handled,  packed  without 
being  properly  cured,  much  of  it  infested  with 
fungi,  and  then  gathered,  packed,  and  shipped 
through  all  sorts  of  weather.  Such  fruit  rapidly 
spoiled.  Careless  handling  of  transportation  com- 
panies added  to  the  disaster,  and  hence  the 
merchants  had  to  sell  what  sound  fruit  might  reach 
them  at  low  prices  or  throw  it  away. 

Orange  culture  will  pay  beyond  any  other  agricul- 
tural pursuit,  even  should  the  price  fall  to  seventy- 
five  cents  per  box.  When  reduced  to  that  price  fifty 
million  boxes  would  not  over-supply  the  present 
population  of  the  United  States  and  Canada.  There 
are  thirty  States  producing  apples  and  peaches,  and 
yet  both  these  crops,  which  have  to  be  marketed 
within  a  few  weeks  or  months,  are  grown  with 
profit.  With  such  facts  before  us  we  have  no  fear 
as  to  the  over-production  of  the  orange. 

A    FASCINATING   VOCATION. 

To  those  engaged  in  the  business,  orange-growing 
is  truly  fascinating.  The  beauty  of  the  tree,  the 
beauty  and  fragrance  of  the  flower,  challenge  all 
rivalry  among  ornamental  trees  and  beautiful 
flowers.  The  aesthetic  cultivator  becomes  a  true 
lover  of  his  sweet  and  beautiful  pet,  which  he  looks 
upon  as  a  relic  and  reminder  of  Paradise.  But 
when  this  beauty  is  accompanied  with  useful, 
golden,  and  gold-bearing  fruit,  affording  a  living, 
and  promising  all  other  material  luxuries,  then  the 
lover  appreciates  his  orange-grove  only  less  than  he 


PREFACE   TO   THE  FOURTH  EDITION,    ix 

does  his  wife,  who  has  brought  to  him  not  only  the 
accomplishments  of  a  sweet  and  cultivated  woman, 
but  with  herself  an  ample  fortune.  And  though  he 
may  have  waited  as  long  as  Jacob  did  for  his  Rachel, 
he  does  not  regret  the  toil  and  waiting,  since  the 
reward  is  ample.  I  do  not  know  but  that  the  toil 
and  waiting  demanded  by  the  orange  does  not 
increase  the  ardor  of  the  planter,  and  increase  his 
pleasure  when  once  the  tree  has  been  brought  to 
full  beauty  and  bearing,  for  we  love  best  those  that 
need  to  be  courted  earnestly  in  order  to  be  won. 
When  thus  won  we  feel  that  the  bride  is  the  more 
fully  our  own. 

HOW    TO    GROW    THE    ORANGE. 

Does  the  reader  wish  to  know  how  to  win  this 
fair  bride  clad  in  nature's  richest  green,  adorned 
with  golden  globes,  crowned  with  fragrant  oranger 
blossoms — her  own  fair  crown,  so  often  plucked 
for  other  bridal  wreaths  ? 

The  object  of  this  book  is  to  answer  that  inquiry. 
Growing  oranges  in  Florida  for  profit  is  no  longer 
a  matter  of  experiment,  as  it  was  thought  to  be 
when  the  first  edition  of  this  treatise  was  published 
some  years  ago.  The  one  million  boxes  shipped 
last  season  demonstrates  the  practicability  of  suc- 
cessfully growing  oranges  in  Florida.  The  now 
known  superiority  of  the  Florida  fruit  is  fast  driving 
the  foreign  fruit  out  of  the  market,  whenever  and 
wherever  the  Florida  orange  is  in  the  market. 
The  successful  shipping  of  oranges  to  Europe  from 
Florida  shows  the  practicability  of  enlarging  the 


X      PREFACE   TO   THE  FOURTH  EDITION. 

market  indefinitely  whenever  the  supply  exceeds 
home  consumption.  The  increased  varieties,  ripen- 
ing early  and  late,  a  knowledge  of  the  fact  that  the 
orange  will  continue  to  hang  on  the  tree  in  good 
condition  for  months  after  it  is  ripe,  that  even  after 
it  has  lost  much  of  its  juice  in  spring  if  allowed  to 
remain  on  the  tree  it  will  again  become  as  heavy 
and  good  as  ever,  the  further  knowledge  that  the 
fruit  can  be  successfully  kept  for  months  by  cold 
storage  and  other  methods,  show  that  the  time  of 
marketing  can  be  lengthened  several  months,  and 
probably  throughout  the  year.  The  now  known 
value  and  excellency  of  the  Florida-grown  lemon 
has  doubled  the  possible  capacity  and  value  of  the 
Florida-grown  citrons. 

Time  and  experience  have  further  demonstrated 
to  thousands  who  have  been  guided  by  the  advice 
given  in  this  little  volume,  that  it  is  a  safe  guide 
for  those  who  wish  to  engage  in  orange-growing. 
Scarcely  a  week  passes  without  some  expression 
of  gratitude  coming  to  the  author  from  some  one 
who  has  made  a  success  in  orange-growing  by  fol- 
lowing the  advice  given  in  this  book.  To  continue 
the  publication  is  a  necessity  arising  from  the  con- 
tinued demand  for  the  book. 

With  a  hope  that  it  may  be  of  still  further 
benefit  to  growers,  this  fourth  edition  is  committed 
to  an  appreciating  public  by 

THE  AUTHOR. 

FRUIT  COVE,  FLA.,  August  30,  1885. 


ORANGE  CULTURE, 


CHAPTER   I. 

THE    PROFIT    OF    ORANGE-GROWING. 

HEN  compared  to  the  profit  from  other  kinds 
of  business,  that  derived  from  orange-grow- 
ing is  so  large  that  a  statement  of  facts  is  often 
withheld  because  the  truth  seems  fabulous  to  those 
who  have  only  had  experience  with  other  kinds  of 
fruits.  *  Those  engaged  in  the  business  consider 
each  tree,  so  soon  as  it  is  in  healthy  and  vigorous 
bearing,  worth  one  hundred  dollars.  Indeed  the 
annual  yield  of  such  a  tree  will  pay  a  large  interest 
on  the  one  hundred  dollars — from  ten  to  a  hun- 
dred, and  in  some  instances  one  hundred  and  fifty 
per  cent  per  annum.  Now  if  we  take  into  consid- 
eration that  from  forty  to  one  hundred  trees  are 
grown  on  an  acre,  the  yield  is  immense.  In  the 
quiet  country,  breathing  its  pure  atmosphere,  with 
fresh  fruits  and  vegetables  from  January  to  Janu- 
ary, with  milk,  butter,  honey,  and  poultry,  the 
product  of  his  farm  and  accessories  to  his  grove, 


12        ORANGE    CULTURE  IN  FLORIDA. 

the  man  who  has  once  brought  his  trees  into  suc- 
cessful bearing  can  enjoy  all  these  and  much  more 
besides,  having  at  his  command  an  income  quite 
equal  to  that  commanded  by  owners  of  blocks  of 
well-improved  real  estate  in  our  towns  and  cities, 
with  not  one  tenth  part  of  the  original  cost  of  city 
investments.  Or,  if  the  owner  chooses,  he  is  at 
liberty  to  go  abroad  without  fear  of  the  incendiary's 
torch  or  the  failure  of  commercial  firms.  And 
even  if  a  frost  should  come  severe  enough  to  cut 
down  full  grown  trees — and  but  one  such  frost  has 
come  in  the  history  of  Florida — the  owner  of  such 
a  grove  has  but  to  wait  quietly  for  three  years,  and 
out  of  the  ruin  will  come  a  second  fortune  as  large 
as  the  first,  and  without  the  cost  of  brick,  mortar, 
and  workmen. 

The  age  to  which  the  orange  tree  lives,  from 
three  hundred  to  four  hundred  years,  is  so  great 
that  Americans  do  not  know  how  to  consider  it  in 
the  light  of  a  permanent  investment.  The  fear  has 
sometimes  been  expressed  that  the  business  will  be 
overdone,  that  the  supply  will  after  a  while  exceed 
the  demand,  and  the  price  of  the  fruit  so  decline 
that  the  orange  will  be  unprofitable  to  the  grower. 
But  those  who  entertain  this  fear  have  certainly  not 
considered  the  facts.  The  area  of  the  States  with 
climate  suitable  for  growing  the  orange  is  compar- 
atively small.  The  southern  portion  of  California, 
a  very  small  part  of  Louisiana,  and  the  whole  of 
Florida,  if  devoted  to  orange  culture,  is  but  a  trifle 


THE  PROFIT  OF  ORANGE-GROWING.     13 

compared  to  the  vast  sections  of  the  United  States 
which  will  be  well  filled  with  inhabitants  long  before 
the  orange-growing  sections  can  be  brought  into 
bearing.  The  present  yield  of  fruit  grown  in  the 
United  States  furnishes  hardly  one  orange  a  year  to 
each  inhabitant.  Our  population  will  likely  double, 
judging  the  future  by  the  past,  in  the  next  thirty  or 
forty  years.  To  furnish  such  a  population  with 
one  orange  or  lemon  a  day  will  require  no  less  than 
thirty  thousand  millions  of  oranges  or  lemons  per 
annum.  The  skill  in  gathering,  curing,  and  pack- 
ing the  late  and  early  varieties  now  appearing  will 
enable  the  grower  to  furnish  for  the  market  at  all 
seasons  of  the  year  either  oranges  or  lemons.  The 
wholesomeness  of  the  fruit,  together  with  its  medici- 
nal qualities,  will  increase  its  popularity  as  an  arti- 
cle of  food,  until  it  will  be  universally  used.  At 
present  the  production  of  Florida  oranges  is  so 
small  that  it  is  not  known  in  the  markets  of  many 
of  our  largest  cities.  The  foreign  varieties  offered  in 
those  markets,  even  when  fully  ripe  and  eaten  fresh 
in  their  own  countries,  will  not  compare  with  the 
Florida  orange.  But  in-  order  to  reach  this  country 
in  sound  condition  they  have  to  be  gathered  when 
green,  and  hence  are  not  only  unpalatable  but  un- 
wholesome. When  the  Florida  orange  becomes 
generally  known,  and  the  supply  is  adequate,  it  will 
exclude  foreign  fruit,  and,  because  of  its  excellence, 
become  universally  used.  Such  will  be  the  demand. 
Already  successful  shipments  have  been  made  to 


14        ORANGE   CULTURE  IN  FLORIDA. 

Europe,  which  at  no  distant  day  is  to  get  its  best 
oranges  in  large  quantities  from  Florida. 

Now  note  the  possibility  of  supply.  Only  a  small 
proportion  of  those  sections  with  climate  sufficiently 
mild  to  grow  the  orange  can  ever  be  made  avail- 
able. A  few  of  the  more  southern  counties  of 
California  and  that  portion  of  Louisiana  along 
the  Gulf  Coast  can  be  made  available  for  grow- 
ing oranges  profitably.  In  Florida  the  climatic 
•conditions  are  more  favorable,  but  the  land  and 
location  suitable  are  not  one  hundredth  part  of  the 
State.  Another  fact  lessens  the  possibility  of  yield. 
Orange  culture  belongs  to  the  class  of  skilled  labor. 
Hundreds  engaged  in  the  business  will  fail,  because 
success  requires  intelligence,  application,  patience, 
and  skill.  Hundreds  have  already  failed,  from  one 
or  all  of  these  causes,  and  have  left  the  State,  never 
dreaming  that  they  alone  are  to  be  blamed  for  their 
failure.  Men  in  the  very  communities  thus  aban- 
doned have  succeeded  because  they  were  more  pru- 
dent in  the  selection  of 'soil  and  location,  and  used 
their  intelligence  and  the  intelligence  of  others,  and 
persevered  in  the  face  of  partial  failure  brought 
about  by  ignorance.  But  those  men  who  failed 
took  no  advice  except  that  of  the  landowner  who 
offered  to  sell  land  cheaper  than  any  one  else. 
They  read  nothing  that  had  been  written  by  men 
who  had  succeeded.  They  took  no  warning  of 
those  who  had  failed.  Stilted  on  their  castle  of 


THE  PROFIT  OF  ORANGE-GROWING.     15 

self-conceit  they  stood,  nor  deigned  to  look  down 
to  the  humble  but  prudent  laborer  for  advice,  till 
their  castle  /fell,  and  they  left  the  State  imagining 
that  the  "  sand  of  Florida"  had  proven  an  unsta- 
ble foundation  and  overthrown  them  and  their  cas- 
tle. Such  instances  will  repeat  themselves.  Who- 
ever may  succeed,  such  men  will  fail.  Whatever 
may  be  written,  and  wisely  written  on  the  subject, 
and  however  published,  whether  in  book  or  journal, 
will  not  be  read  by  them.  But  while  the  above 
facts  will  lessen  the  general  yield  of  oranges,  it  will 
make  the  business  vastly  more  profitable  to  the  men 
who  possess  the  virtues  necessary  to  success.  The 
orange  will  pay  beyond  any  other  fruit  at  half  a 
cent  an  orange  on  the  tree.  In  Europe,  where 
lands  are  exceedingly  high,  a  grove  is  considered  a 
most  profitable  investment,  even  when  the  fruit  sells 
at  from  two  dollars  to  four  dollars  per  thousand. 
Ten  years  ago  the  Florida  orange  was  considered  well 
sold  when  the  grower  could  get  one  cent  on  trie 
tree.  Few  now  sell  for  less  than  one  and  a  halt 
cent,  and  some  average  at  their  groves  as  high  as 
four  cents  per  orange,  and  the  price  still  advances. 

In  no  business  can  a  young  man  with  pluck,  in- 
telligence, and  application,  so  certainly  lay  the 
foundation  for  a  competency  and  fortune  as  in  or- 
ange-growing in  Florida.  With  the  exercise  of 
these  he  may  in  ten  years  be  what  the  country  would 
call  a  rich  man. 

A  young  man  from   Middle   Florida   borrowed 


j6        ORANGE    CULTURE  IN  FLORIDA. 

money  enough  from  his  father  to  buy  a  piece  of 
land.  After  paying  for  his  land,  located  a  few 
miles  above  Palatka,  he  landed  in  Paiatka  with 
three  dollars  in  his  pocket.  These  he  paid  for  pro- 
visions, and  went  to  work  growing  vegetables  on 
about  an  acre  and  a  half  of  cleared  land.  Six  years 
afterward  he  sold  his  place  for  twelve  thousand 
dollars  cash,  without  owing  a  cent  for  anything. 
Many  instances  could  be  given  of  young  men,  as 
well  as  old  men,  who  have  done  as  well,  and  of 
some  who  have  done  still  better.  Young  men  have 
frequently  written  to  the  author  to  aid  in  securing 
for  them  a  clerkship.  His  advice  has  been  invari- 
ably given,  "  Go  to  work  raising  fruit  in  Florida,  and 
be  independent  and  have  a  home. ' ' 

ORANGE    CULTURE    IN    CALIFORNIA. 

We  clip  the  following  statistics  of  making  an  or- 
ange grove  in  California  from  the  address  of  Mr. 
L.  M.  Holt,  Secretary  of  the  Southern  California 
Horticultural  Society.  It  will  be  observed  that  the 
rates  are  far  above  those  charged  in  Florida  in  some 
of  the  items,  land  for  one  : 

"  An  orange  orchard  in  full  bearing  will  yield  100,- 
ooo  oranges  to  the  acre.  Five  dollars  per  thousand 
will  pay  all  the  expenses  of  taking  care  of  the  orchard 
and  picking  and  marketing  the  crop  in  San  Francisco, 
or  to  any  other  market  to  which  the  freights  are  no 
greater.  If  the  price  should  come  down  from  the  pres- 


THE  PROFIT  OF  ORANGE-GROWING.     17 

ent  figure  to  ten  dollars  per  1000 — jobbing  rates— there 
will  still  be  left  five  dollars  per  1000,  or  five  hundred 
dollars  per  acre  for  the  producer,  which  on  a  ten-acre 
tract  will  satisfy  the  cupidity  of  the  most  avaricious. 
There  is  scarcely  a  possibility  that  the  price  of  good 
clean  oranges  will  reach  so  low  a  figure  as  ten  dol- 
lars per  thousand  yet,  for  years  to  come. 

WHAT  WILL  IT  COST  TO   GET   SUCH   AN   ORCHARD? 

"  As  a  guide  to  those  who  may  desire  to  figure  on 
the  probable  expense  of  starting  an  orange  orchard. 
I  give  below  some  figures  which  are  applicable  to 
Riverside  ;  they  must  be  changed  somewhat  for  other 
localities.  Land  in  Riverside  settlement  is  compara- 
tively high.  One  year  ago  good  wild  land  could  be 
obtained  for  seventy-five  dollars  per  acre,  and  even  at 
sixty  dollars  per  acre  under  the  canals.  To-day  there 
is  none  for  sale  at  a  less. figure  than  one  hundred 
and  fifty  dollars  per  acre,  and  choice  land  in  good  lo- 
cations is  held  at  two  hundred  dollars  per  acre  firm. 
Lower  priced  lands  can  be  had  in  other  localities,  and 
in  no  place  in  Southern  California  does  it  command 
as  high  a  figure  as  here  in  Riverside.  In  applying 
these  figures  to  other  localities  the  price  of  land  can 
be  figured  all  the  way  from  twenty-five  to  one  hun- 
dred dollars  per  acre.  Following  are  the  figures  for 
a  ten-acre  tract  : 

COST. 

Ten  acres  of  land  in  Riverside $1500 

One  thousand  trees,  budded  or  seedling. 750 

Planting  and  caring  for  same  first  season,  at 

twenty-five  dollars  per  acre 250 

Caring  tor  orchard  second  year,  at  fifteen  dollars 

per  acre 150 


18        ORANGE   CULTURE  IN  FLORIDA. 


Third  year,  fifteen  dollars  per  year 150 

Fourth  year,  twenty  dollars  per  acre 200 

Fifth  year,  twenty-five  dollars  per  acre 250 

Other  expenses  incidental  to  work 550 

Total  for  five  years ...   $3800 

Interest  on  investment 1200 


Total $5000 

This  is  the  expense  account.  There  will  be  some 
receipts.  If  good  budded  trees  are  planted,  the  third 
year  will  give  a  little  fruit,  the  fourth  year  still 
more,  and  at  the  end  of  the  fifth  year  there  will  be 
quite  a  fine  crop.  In  order  to  be  safe  in  these  calcu- 
lations we  will  place  the  yield  and  prices  at  the 
lowest  possible  estimate  : 

Third  year  crop,  scattering  oranges — a  few  hun- 
dred or  thousand — not  counted. 

Fourth  year,  an  average  of  fifty  oranges  to  the 
tree — 50,000  oranges  at  twenty  dollars  per  thou- 
sand   $1000 

Fifth  year,  200  to  the  tree — 200,000  oranges  at 

twenty  dollars  per  thousand 4000 

"  If  these  prices  are  maintained  the  owner  has  his 
investment  all  back  again  at  the  end  of  five  years, 
and  is  ready  to  ship  oranges  in  large  quantities  every 
year  thereafter. 

"  All  persons  planting  orange  orchards  do  not  do  as 
well  as  this,  and  some  do  better.  Those  figures 
represent  what  can  be  done  with  good  judgment  and 
thorough  work.  If  a  man  thinks  to  save  by  getting 
cheap  and  incompetent  work,  he  may  succeed  in  re- 
ducing the  cost  a  few  dollars,  and  the  receipts  a  few 
hundred  dollars,  or  even  a  few  thousand  dollars.  If 


THE  PROFIT  OF  ORANGE-GROWING.     19 

he  buys  a  poor  tree  he  can  get  it  for  twenty  cents, 
instead  of  paying  the  market  price  for  a  good  thrifty 
tree,  he  will  make  another  saving  in  cost  of  orchard, 
and  in  cost  of  boxes  in  which  to  ship  the  fruit." 


CHAPTER   II. 

OF   THE    SEVERAL    METHODS   OF   PLANTING    ORANGE 
GROVES. 

fHE  question  is  frequently  asked,  "  Which  is 
the  best?"  The  several  methods  are — ist, 
the  budding  of  the  wild  sour  trees  without  mov- 
ing them  ;  2d,  budding  them  first  and  planting 
afterward  in  some  suitable  location  ;  3d,  plant- 
ing the  sour  stumps  and  budding  afterward  ;  4th, 
growing  the  trees  from  sweet  seed  without  budding  ; 
5th,  planting  the  sweet  seedling  and  budding  either 
before  or  after  removal  from  nursery  ;  6th,  bud- 
ding on  sour  seedlings  either  before  or  after  re- 
moval from  nursery  ;  and  yth,  a  grove  of  sweet  seed- 
lings. 

Each  of  these  plans  has  some  advantage  over  the 
others.  They  all  have  advocates,  but  which  of  all 
has  the  greatest  number  of  advantages  is  question- 
able. I  have  tried  them  all  ;  but,  after  stating  the 
advantages  of  each,  must  leave  to  the  grower  to  se- 
lect for  himself  as  circumstances  and  inclination 
may  control. 

If  one  is  impatient  for  returns,  let  him  choose  the 
sour  grove,  if  he  can  find  it,  and  bud  the  trees 
where  they  stand.  With  proper  management  he 


SEVERAL   METHODS  OF  PLANTING.      2i 

may  begin  to  gather  in  two  years.  If  he  is  still 
impatient  but  cannot  find  a  sour  grove,  let  him  buy 
the  sour  stumps,  plant  them  in  some  suitable  loca- 
tion, and  he  may  begin  to  gather  fruit  in  three 
years  from  planting.  But  if  he  can  wait  a  while 
longer  for  fruit,  with  the  hope  of  getting  a  longer- 
lived  tree  and  more  abundant  yield,  let  him  plant 
younger  trees,  either  seedlings  or  budded  stock.  If 
he  wishes  an  early  bearer- and  comparatively  smaller 
tree,  he  can  select  the  sour  seedling  budded.  If  a 
larger  but  later  bearer,  he  can  select  the  siveet  seed- 
ling budded.  If  he  wishes  an  abundant  yield  and 
the  largest  trees,  and  can  wait  a  longer  time,  the 
sweet  seedling  unbudded  will  suit.  With  good 
treatment  such  trees  will  begin  to  yield  in  eight 
years,  and  after  a  longer  time,  in  ninety-nine 
cases  out  of  a  hundred,  give  him  a  fair  quality 
of  fruit  ;  but  perhaps  he  will  have  as  many  varie- 
ties or  sub- varieties  as  trees  in  his  grove.  The 
sour  stock  for  a  few  years  grows  more  rapidly,  but 
will  finally  make  a  smaller  tree  than  the  sweet. 
The  best  quality  of  fruit  can  be  insured  only  by 
budding  from  the  best  varieties. 

As  to  the  relative  advantages  of  seedling  and 
budded  trees,  each  year's  experience  and  observa- 
tion increase  my  appreciation  of  budded  trees. 
Were  I  to  plant  again,  I  think  I  would  plant  no 
other. 


CHAPTER  III. 

THE  WILD  ORANGE  GROVE  BUDDED. 

fHIS  grove  yields  so  readily  under  so  simple  treat- 
ment that  we  shall  consider  it  at  once.  Of  course 
nature  has  already  determined  the  location,  and 
in  many  instances  the  location  has  been  wisely 
chosen,  not  only  with  reference  to  best  protection 
from  frost,  but  also  in  many  instances  with  refer- 
ence to  cheap  and  easy  transportation,  on  the  banks 
of  navigable  rivers  and  creeks.  Wherever  a  wild 
grove  can  be  found  so  located,  the  purchaser  can 
afford  to  pay  a  liberal  price  if  he  has  to  buy,  or  the 
owner  can  afford  to  improve  by  the  most  approved 
methods. 

Many,  however,  have  been  the  blunders  made  in 
attempts  to  improve  such  valuable  property.  I 
know  of  many  groves  greatly  damaged,  and  some 
completely  sacrificed,  by  bad  management.  The 
two  mistakes  most  frequently  made  in  the  treatment 
of  such  groves  are,  first,  the  reckless  destruction  of 
the  forest  trees  furnished  by  nature  for  the  protec- 
tion of  the  orange,  and,  second,  the  continued  pull- 
ing off  of  the  young  shoots  from  the  stumps  cut  off 
for  the  purpose  of  budding.  The  first  and  second 
buds  having  failed,  the  cultivator  continues  to  re- 


WILD    ORANGE   GROVE  BUDDED.         23 

duce  the  vitality  of  the  tree  by  pulling  off  the  young 
shoots,  until  at  last  the  sap,  for  want  of  elaboration 
through  the  leaf,  becomes  diseased,  and  the  tree, 
tenacious  of  life  as  it  is,  dies  of  the  double  cause  of 
exhaustion  and  disease.  It  may  be  well  to  caution 
the  orange-grower  at  once  against  the  commission 
or  repetition  of  this  frequent  blunder.  Few  of  our 
forest  trees  will  survive  being  cut  down  to  a  stump  ; 
still  fewer  will  survive  if  the  young  shoots  are  kept 
down  for  a  few  months.  Every  time  the  young 
shoots  are  pulled  off,  the  young  rootlets,  correspond- 
ing to  and  starting  at  the  same  instant  with  the 
shoots,  die,  and  the  effort  of  nature  to  restore  vital- 
ity is  checked  and  weakened  until  the  hardiest  tree 
is  soon  killed.  In  budding  old  stumps  1  have  found 
it  of  great  advantage  to  allow  a  few  shoots  to  grow 
along  the  trunk,  below  the  bud,  pinching  back 
these  shoots,  allowing  a  few  leaves  on  each  shoot 
to  grow  to  full  size,  and  so  furnishing  the  tree  with 
healthy  sap,  encouraging  the  development  and  ma- 
turity of  new  wood  and  new  roots,  and  keeping  up 
an  active  circulation.  Continue  this  until  the  sweet 
bud  has  so  far  advanced  as  to  be  able  to  furnish  the 
tree  with  sufficient  leaf  to  enable  it  to  collect  suf- 
ficient carbon  from  the  atmosphere  to  insure  the 
health  of  the  tree.  After  this  point  has  been  reach- 
ed you  may  then  pluck  off  all  the  sour  shoots  and 
keep  them  off.  In  some  instances  where  a  sweet 
bud  has  made  an  early  start,  a  more  vigorous 
growth  of  the  sweet  bud  may  be  obtained  by  pluck- 


24        ORANGE    CULTURE   IN  FLORIDA. 

ing  off  all  the  sour  shoots  from  the  first,  but  this  is 
at  the  risk  of  the  health  of  both  the  stock  and  the 
bud.  I  will  mention  one  other  thing  in  this  con- 
nection :  do  not  allow  the  sweet  bud  to  grow  too 
long  before  pinching  it  back.  If  allowed  to  grow 
two  or  three  feet,  as  it  will  from  a  very  vigorous 
slump,  it  is  liable  to  be  broken  off  by  the  wind. 
But  even  if  it  should  be  securely  tied  so  as  to  pre- 
vent such  an  accident,  it  should,  nevertheless,  be 
pinched  back  in  order  to  hasten  the  maturity  of  its 
own  wood  and  leaves.  The  mature  leaves  are  nec- 
essary to  the  health  of  both  stock  and  bud,  and 
necessary  to  gain  a  controlling  influence  over  the 
circulation,  and  to  draw  it  as  early  as  possible  to  the 
sweet  bud.  By  this  means  also  the  mature  wood  of 
the  sweet  bud  is  better  enabled  to  resist  the  blight- 
ing influence  of  both  sun  and  frost.  Still  another 
advantage  is  gained.  By  pinching  back  the  bud  it 
is  induced  to  branch  near  its  junction  with  the 
stock  and  thus  enlarge  and  strengthen  its  connection 
with  the  stock. 

I  again  call  the  attention  of  the  reader  to  the 
other  mistake  mentioned  in  the  beginning  of  this 
chapter,  and  so  frequently  made  by  those  who  have 
undertaken  to  improve  wild  groves.  Nature  has 
not  only  planted  these  groves,  found  above  the  frost 
line  on  the  south  side  of  bodies  of  water,  but  has 
also  taken  the  additional  precaution  to.  plant  them 
under  the  protection  of  forest  trees.  Thus  doubly 
guarded,  these  orange  trees  have  grown,  some  of 


WILD    ORANGE    GROVE  BUDDED.         25 

them  probably  for  a  century.  As  the  cold  winds 
from  the  north-west  have  swept  down  upon  them, 
the  frost  has  been  tempered  by  passing  over  a  body 
of  water  of  higher  temperature  than  the  winds. 
The  spreading  branches  of  forest  trees,  hanging  like 
canopies,  have  checked  the  radiation  of  heat  pass- 
ing from  the  surface  of  the  earth,  and  inclosed  the 
orange  grove  in  a  vapor  bath.  And  even  if  the 
tempest  has  been  too  strong  and  cold,  and  swept 
away  the  warm  air-blanket  thrown  by  nature  over 
the  tender  orange  shoot,  and  the  cold  has  frozen 
the  sap  until  the  tender  woody  tissues  have  been 
ruptured,  still  the  forest  trees  have  stood  like  foster- 
mothers  to  keep  off  the  rays  of  the  morning  sun  till 
these  ruptured  tissues  and  sap  vessels  could  be  heal- 
ed by  the  efforts  of  nature.  The  mother  who  has 
suddenly  plunged  the  body  of  her  "scalded  child 
into  a  bath  of  flour  or  oil  to  save  the  child  from 
suffering  and  death,  has  not  shown  a  tenderer  care 
than  the  forest  trees  have  extended  for  scores  of 
years  over  their  charges.  And  yet  the  first  thing 
done  by  many  of  us  who  wished  to  improve  our  wild, 
groves  was  to  cut  down  these  natural  protectors  to  a 
tree.  The  wonder  is,  not  that  so  many  of  these 
wild  groves  have  been  destroyed,  but  that  any  have 
been  saved  after  such  abuse. 

But  we  will  not  now  discuss  the  advantages  of  par- 
tial forest  protection.  The  subject  is  of  too  much 
importance  to  be  dismissed  in  a  single  paragraph. 
We  will  consider  this  subject  in  a  separate  chapter 


26        ORANGE   CULTURE  IN  FLORIDA. 

further  along.  I  have  thus  early  noticed  this  sub- 
ject lest  the  reader  may  do  what  I  and  hundreds 
of  others  have  done — destroy  these  magnificent  wild 
groves  when  attempting  to  improve  them. 

Before  beginning  to  bud  a  wild  orange  grove,  first 
cut  down  all  the  underbrush,  and  then  the  smaller 
forest  trees.  This  rubbish  can  be  removed  or 
burned  and  the  ashes  used  as  fertilizer  for  the  orange 
trees,  spreading  a  liberal  quantity  around  the  trunks 
to  keep  off  the  "wood-lice" — white  ants — which 
frequently  attack  trees  where  there  is  much  rubbish 
left  on  the  ground.  Or,  if  lime  can  be  had,  sprinkle 
this  around  the  trunks  and  let  the  rubbish  rot  on 
the  ground.  The  decayed  brush  will  add  greatly 
to  the  fertility  of  the  soil  and  will  soon  be  out  of  the 
way.  It  would  add  greatly,  however,  to  the  ease 
with  which  you  accomplish  your  subsequent  work 
to  take  all  this  rubbish  out  of  the  way. 

The  ground  cleared  of  underbrush  and  small 
trees,  pass  through  and  select  at  suitable  intervals 
the  forest  trees  you  wish  to  remain.  Select  a  plenty 
of  these  trees,  and  mark  them  so  that  they  will  not 
be  cut  down.  If  afterward  they  are  found  standing 
too  thickly  on  the  ground,  some  of  them  can  be 
felled.  If  felled  too  hastily,  fifty  years  cannot  re- 
store them.  The  number  of  these  trees  which  are 
to  remain  is  to  be  determined  by  circumstances. 
If  the  place  is  well  protected  by  water,  fewer  tree? 
will  answer.  But  be  certain  to  leave  enough  trees 
to  keep  off  the  morning  sun  after  a  frost,  as  it  is 


WILD   ORANGE   GROVE  BUDDED.        27 

the  sudden  thawing  more  than  the  freeze  which  kills 
the  trees.  Trees  intended  for  shelter  should  be  of 
habits  the  opposite  of  those  of  the  orange.  You 
wish  the  orange  to  have  low-spreading  branches. 
Select  as  their  protectors  trees  so  tall  that  their  lower 
branches  will  not  interfere  with  the  foliage  of  the 
orange.  The  orange  tree  sends  most  of  its  roots 
near  the  surface  of  the  ground.  Select  as  their  pro- 
tectors trees  that  send  their  roots  deep.  I  have  no- 
ticed several  varieties  of  live  oak  in  the  State.  Only 
one  of  these  is  in  the  habit  of  sending  its  roots  deep 
into  the  soil.  Whenever  I  have  found  this  variety 
growing  I  could  plant  the  orange  close  to  its  trunk 
without  damage  to  the  orange.  The  persimmon 
has  this  habit  of  deep  feeding,  but  unfortunately  it 
drops  its  foliage  in  the  winter.  The  pine  has  this 
habit  only  when  grown  in  a  well-drained  soil. 
There  are  some  individual  trees  whose  habits  are 
an  exception  to  the  general  habits  of  the  variety. 
These  can  soon  be  discovered  by  the  use  of  the 
spade  or  hoe.  But  if  trees  without  surface  feeders 
cannot  be  found,  then  select  trees  with  other  desira- 
ble qualities  and  cut  the  surface  roots  by  a  trench 
ten  or  twelve  inches  deep  a  few  feet  frorh  and  around 
the  base.  After  those  trees  have  been  selected  and 
marked  which  you  wish  to  remain,  you  can  now  cut 
next  such  trees  as  can  be  felled  without  damage  to  the 
standing  orange  trees.  The  work  thus  far  should 
be  done  during  the  fall  or  winter,  so  as  to  be  ready 
for  the  spring  and  summer  work  which  is  to  follow. 


28        ORANGE   CULTURE  IN  FLORIDA. 

In  early  spring,  before  the  new  growth  of  the 
orange  has  started,  begin  to  saw  off  the  limbs  of 
the  orange  trees  if  they  branch  near  the  ground, 
taking  off  all  the  top.  If  the  trunks  are  long,  cut 
off  the  tree,  leaving  about  two  and  a  half  feet  of 
stump.  Immediately  afterward  fell  the  balance 
of  the  forest  trees  that  are  to  be  cut. 

So  soon  as  the  sap  begins  to  flow  freely,  and  the 
bark  to  break  by  the  springing  of  new  shoots,  insert 
sweet  ' '  sprig' '  buds,  ranging  from  the  top  to  six 
inches  below  the  top  of  the  stump,  inserting  four 
or  more  buds  to  the  tree.  I  have  sometimes  has- 
tened the  development  of  the  bud  by  inserting  the 
bud  before  cutting  off  the  top,  if  the  sap  was  flow- 
ing freely,  and  so  soon  as  the  bud  was  known  to 
be  living  then  cutting  off  the  top.  But  this  has 
been  with  trees  standing  apart  from  others.  Where 
they  stand  thickly,  as  is  generally  the  case  in  the  wild 
grove,  the  felling  of  the  tops  usually  knocks  out  or 
so  disturbs  the  bud  as  to  cause  it  to  die. 

As  the  young  sour  shoots  start,  rub  off  all  above 
and  in  the  immediate  vicinity  of  the  buds.  Allow 
a  few  shoots  to  remain  along  the  trunk,  but  pinch 
them  back  after  growing  a  few  inches.  Be  careful 
to  allow  none  to  reach  higher  than  the  bud,  as  the 
tendency  of  the  sap  is  to  flow  in  greatest  abundance 
to  the  highest  point.  I  have  already  mentioned 
some  advantages  to  be  derived  from  first  allowing 
sour  shoots  to  grow  and  then  pinching  them  back. 
I  mention  one  other  advantage.  This  method 


WILD   ORANGE   GROVE  BUDDED.         29 

soon  furnishes  new  and  mature  wood  on  which  to 
bud  if  the  first  buds  fail. 

After  the  sweet  buds  have  grown  ten  or  twelve 
inches,  pinch  back,  simply  taking  out  the  terminal 
bud.  So  soon  as  the  buds  have  started  fairly  a  sec- 
ond growth,  you  may  begin  to  lessen  the  quantity 
of  the  sour  shoots  below,  until  you  can  safely  risk 
the  tree's  health  with  the  foliage  furnished  by  the 
sweet  bud.  You  may  have  to  occasionally  pinch 
back  the  sweet  bud.  It  is  safest  to  hold  it  in  such 
check  as  will  hasten  the  maturity  of  wood,  and  thick- 
ness rather  than  length  of  branches. 

In  the  after-cultivation  of  such  groves,  if  the  de- 
posit of  leaves  is  sufficient  to  keep  down  the  grass, 
do  not  disturb  the  soil  with  plow  or  hoe  for  the  first 
year  or  two.  .  Pull  up  or  cut  down  with  a  scythe 
any  weeds  that  may  spring  up.  I  believe  such 
groves  can  be  most  economically  and  successfully 
cultivated  by  keeping  up  nature's  method.  I  have 
had  several  letters  of  inquiry  as  to  the  proper  culti- 
vation of  such  groves,  correspondents  dwelling  upon 
the  difficulties  of  plowing  and  hoeing  while  roots 
were  so  near  the  surface. 


CHAPTER    IV. 

GROVES    FROM   TRANSPLANTED    SOUR    STUMPS. 

fHE  next  most  expeditious  way  of  getting  a 
sweet  grove  is  from  transplanted  stumps  of 
sour  trees.  It  is  sometimes  the  case  that  per- 
sons improving  wild  groves,  having  budded  all 
the  trees  and  finding  them  too  thickly  set  on  the 
ground,  will  sell  those  budded  stumps  at  a  fair 
price.  When  this  is  the  case  a  grove  can  be  brought 
into  bearing  in  a  short  time.  I  have  frequently 
had  such  trees  to  fruit  the  same  year  of  planting. 
But  this  has  been  the  case  only  where  they  have 
been  taken  up  with  great  care,  with  abundance  of 
root,  and  removed  but  a  short  distance.  But  even 
where  this  early  fruiting  can  be  secured,  the  policy  is 
doubtful.  The  tree  should  not  be  taxed  with  efforts 
to  bear  fruit  so  early  after  its  removal  and  in  its  en- 
feebled condition.  It  requires  much  greater  effort 
on  the  part  of  the  tree  to  bear  fruit  than  to  produce 
new  wood.  One  of  these  budded  sour  stumps  of 
medium  size,  carefully  taken  up  with  good  roots 
and  carefully  cultivated,  will  begin  the  second  year 
to  bear  considerable  fruit,  if  it  has  not  been  allowed 
to  fruit  the  year  of  planting.  The  third  year  such 


GROVES  FROM  SOUR   STUMPS.  31 

a  tree  will  begin  to  pay  a  good  interest  on  the  in- 
vestment of  purchase-money. 

There  are  some  objections  to  a  grove  of  this  kind. 
These  trees  from  old  stumps  never  grow  to  be  so 
large  as  the  unbudded  seedlings,  nor  bear  so 
abundantly.  They  are  believed  also  to  be  much 
shorter  lived.  European  writers  tell  us  such  is  the 
case,  but  I  do  not  believe  that  our  experience  in 
Florida  has  been  of  sufficient  length  to  test  the  age 
to  which  one  of  these  trees  will  live  and  bear  fruit. 
Some  of  the  oldest  bearing  trees  in  this  State,  of 
such  origin,  are  still  fine  bearers  and  in  vigorous 
health.  One  other  objection  I  will  mention.  It 
is  generally  believed  that  it  is  hard  to  make  the  old 
stumps  live.  The  sad  experience  of  those  of  us 
who,  a  few  years  ago,  bought  such  stumps  by  the 
hundred  and  had  them  die  almost  as  fast  as  they 
were  set,  has  made  this  kind  of  business  very  un- 
popular. But  I  am  persuaded  that  most  of  this  dis- 
aster can  be  attributed  to  ignorance  and  careless- 
ness. I  am  satisfied  now  that  if  I  had  handled 
sweet  seedlings  as  I  and  every  one  else  then  han- 
dled sour  stumps,  the  sweet  seedlings  would  have 
died  almost  as  badly.  There  is  no  doubt  that  the 
younger  the  tree  the  less  risk  there  is  in  removing 
it.  But  the  early  return  to  be  gathered  from  these 
sour  stumps,  budded  either  before  or  after  removal, 
will  justify  the  risk  in  planting  a  few  in  every  new 
grove,  and  if  the  stumps  can  be  bought  at  a  fair 
price  and  are  near  at  hand,  so  as  not  to  be  damaged 


32        ORANGE   CULTURE  IN  FLORIDA. 

in  transporting  them,  the  grower  would  do  well  to 
plant  them  liberally.  In  transplanting  sour  stumps 
too  much  care  cannot  be  exercised. 

Many  of  the  wild  groves  are  found  in  low  wet 
land.  The  tap-root  is  small,  and  the  laterals  near 
the  surface,  while  reaching  a  considerable  distance, 
have  few  or  no  fibrous  roots  near  the  base  of  the 
tree.  They  have  also  been  accustomed  to  an 
abundance  of  shade  and  moisture.  One  must  see 
at  once  that  new  and  entirely  different  habits  must 
be  formed  by  such  trees  transplanted  into  a  drier 
soil  and  with  less  shade  and  moisture.  These  new 
habits  have  to  be  formed  at  a  time  when  the  tree  is 
least  able  to  bear  the  change.  It  is  better  to  select 
trees  grown  in  a  drier  soil.  I  have,  however,  suc- 
ceeded in  transplanting  trees  from  a  swamp,  at  the 
time  of  taking  them  up  flooded  with  water.  Some 
such  are  now  healthy  and  fine  bearers. 

In  taking  up  large  sour  trees,  have  at  hand  a 
sharp  axe,  a  sharp  narrow-bladed  saw,  and  two  sharp 
spades  prepared  especially  for  such  work.  The 
spades  should  be  made  to  order,  narrower  than 
usual,  with  handle  and  jaws  sufficiently  stout  to  be 
used  in  prying.  With  such  tools  the  work  will  be 
greatly  expedited  and  done  much  more  satisfactori- 
ly. The  time  saved  in  one  day's  work  with  such 
tools  will  pay  for  their  cost. 

If  ready  to  begin,  saw  off  the  top,  leaving  a 
stump  five  or  six  feet  high  to  be  used  as  a  lever  for 
bending  the  tree  out  of  its  bed.  Now  drive  down 


GROVES  FROM  SOUR   STUMPS.          33 

the  spade,  cutting  the  roots  in  a  circle  two  feet  and 
a  half  from  the  base  or  trunk.  Shake  the  tree  to 
see  if  all  the  lateral  roots  have  been  cut.  If  not  it 
will  be  necessary  to  cut  a  trench  the  width  of  the 
spade  to  enable  you  to  cut  deeper.  In  making  the 
second  cut  incline  the  point  of  the  spade  toward  the 
tap-root  Next  cut  the  tap-root  two  feet  and  a  half 
from  the  surface  and  lift  the  stump  from  its  bed. 
Place  the  stumps  at  once  in  the  shade  and  wrap 
them  well  with  wet  green  moss.  Protect  as  far  as 
possible  from  the  sun  and  drying  winds.  After 
taking  a  stump  from  the  soil  plant  it  in  position  as 
soon  as  possible.  One  great  cause  of  failure  has 
arisen  from  keeping  them  out  of  the  ground  too 
long,  and  allowing  the  roots  to  be  exposed  to  wind 
and  sun. 

In  setting,  have  the  holes  freshly  dug.  Do  not 
allow  the  soil  to  dry  before  it  is  replaced  around  the 
roots.-  Dig  the  holes,  for  resetting,  five  feet  wide 
and  ten  or  twelve  inches  deep.  If  the  holes  are 
dug  too  deep  it  is  almost  impossible  to  keep  the 
tree  from  sinking  too  deep  in  its  position,  as  the 
fresh  soil  settles.  In  the  centre  of  the  hole  dig  a 
deeper  hole  the  width  of  the  spade  for  the  tap-root. 
With  a  sharp  knife,  and  where  the  roots  are  too 
large  for  the  knife,  with  a  sharp  saw  with  fine  teeth, 
cut  away  all  fractures  and  bruises  from  the  ends  of 
roots.  So  set  the  tree  that  it  will  stand,  .after  the 
soil  has  been  settled  by  showers,  a  little  higher  than 
it  stood  in  its  original  bed.  It  had  better  be  higher 


34        ORANGE   CULTURE  IN  FLORIDA. 

by  two  inches  than  lower  by  one  inch  than  it  origi- 
nally grew.  You  cannot  be  too  cautious  at  this 
point.  If  the  tree  is  set  too  deep,  it  may  live,  but  it 
will  not  flourish  for  some  time  ;  it  may  be  not  for 
years,  but  certainly  not  till  it  has  sent  out  fresh 
surface  roots  to  take  the  place  of  those  which  have 
been  smothered  by  having  been  buried  too  deeply. 
The  tree  having  been  put  in  position,  replace  the 
soil,  packing  it  first  firmly  around  the  tap-root. 
Now  press  down  the  ends  of  the  laterals  so  that 
they  will  have  a  slight  dip,  and  fill  in  with  soil, 
treading  it  firmly  upon  the  roots.  Finally  cover 
over  with  two  inches  of  light  soil  and  leave  the 
ground  level.  When  the  ground  is  sufficiently  wet 
it 'is  not  necessary  to  use  water.  But  if  the  ground 
is  dry,  use  enough  water  to  settle  the  soil  firmly 
around  the  roots,  and  especially  around  the  tap- 
root, but  do  not  wet  the  top  layer  of  earth.  I  pre- 
fer planting  after  showers  to  using  water.  If  the 
planting  is  done  in  spring  or  summer,  mulch  at 
once  with  one  or  two  inches  of  litter,  and  if  the 
trees  have  been  set  in  the  open  ground  shelter  them 
from  the  sun  by  setting  a  pine  bough  to  the  south 
of  the  tree.  If  the  stumps  have  been  taken  from 
a  dry  soil  the  above  is  sufficient  to  insure  their  liv- 
ing, but  if  taken  from  a  very  wet  soil,  be  careful  to 
keep  the  ground  moist  till  the  new  roots  have  well 
started  and  penetrated  well  into  the  soil.  The 
stump  should  be  cut  off  two  and  a  half  feet  high. 
If  the  stumps  have  been  budded,  and  the  buds  have 


GROVES  FROM  SOUR   STUMPS.          35 

grown  to  considerable  length,  cut  them  back,  leav- 
ing here  and  there  a  few  leaves  to  direct  the  current 
of  the  sap  into  the  sweet  wood.  If  the  stumps  have 
not  been  budded,  so  soon  as  the  bark  begins  to 
break  with  new  shoots  and  separate  freely  from  the 
wood,  insert  three  or  four  sprig  buds  near  the  top, 
and  treat  the  tree  as  directed  in  budding  the  natural 
grove.  Fertilizers  should  not  be  added  till  the  trees 
are  well  established.  When  fertilizers  are  applied, 
do  not  place  them  near  the  trunk  and  above  the 
roots,  but  a  little  beyond  their  extremity. 


CHAPTER  V. 

PLANTING   THE    ORANGE    SEED. 

fN  selecting  seed  for  the  nursery,  if  you  intend 
budding  the  young  trees,  you  need  not  be 
careful  as  to  the  quality  of  fruit  from  which  the 
seed  is  taken.  The  plant  from  the  sour  seed, 
as  already  stated,  will  for  a  few  years  grow  more 
rapidly,  but  make  a  smaller  tree  than  the  plant  from 
the  sweet  fruit. 

If  you  desire  to  grow  your  trees  without  budding, 
select  only  from  the  best  fruit,  and  from  trees  not 
grown  in  the  vicinity  of  any  trees  bearing  sour  or 
indifferent  fruit.  All  the  varieties  and  even  species 
of  the  citrus  family  mix  very  readily,  and  if  grown 
in  close  proximity,  seeds  from  the  same  tree  will 
give  an  endless  variety  of  fruits,  the  tendency,  how- 
ever, being  toward  the  kind  produced  by  the  tree 
from  which  the  fruit  is  plucked,  as  the  pistils  are 
more  apt  to  be  fertilized  by  pollen  from  flowers 
near  at  hand. 

If  sour  seed  are  to  be  planted,  the  fruit  may  be 
thrown  into  piles  till  rotted  and  the  seed  washed 
out  from  the  pulp.  But  whatever  kind  is  used,  do 
not  allow  the  seed  to  dry.  Put  them  at  once  into 
moist  sand,  to  be  kept  till  ready  for  planting. 


PLANTING    THE   ORANGE   SEED.         37 

The  seeds  may  be  planted  either  in  boxes,  or  in 
the  open  ground,  or  under  glass,  as  quantity  or 
other  circumstances  may  suggest.  If  fruit  is  eaten 
in  the  early  winter,  the  seed  may  at  once  be  planted 
in  boxes  and  the  boxes  set  in  some  warm  place  in- 
doors, and  the  plants  be  so  far  advanced  as  to  be 
ready  to  set  in  the  nursery  early  in  the  spring. 

In  preparing  beds  or  boxes  for  seed,  have  the  bot- 
tom soil  covered  two  or  three  inches  deep  with  fresh 
leaf  mould  from  the  hummock.  Place  the  seeds 
about  one  inch  apart  and  cover  with  half  an  inch  of 
soil — leaf  mould.  Finish  by  a  covering  of  one  inch 
of  mulching  and  a  thorough  watering.  Keep  the 
soil  moist,  but  not  wet.  If  the  seed-bed  is  in  the 
open  ground  it  is  well  to  -hold  the  mulching  in 
place  by  laying  a  few  brush  on  the  bed. 

I  have  sometimes  succeeded  very  well  by  allow- 
ing the  seed  to  remain  in  a  box  of  sand  till  they 
have  started  to  sprout  and  then  planting  them  di- 
rectly in  the  nursery.  In  this  case  select  a  place 
partially  sheltered  by  forest  trees.  Prepare  the  soil 
thoroughly  for  ten  or  twelve  inches  deep.  Open 
the  rows  four  feet  apart  and  eight  inches  deep.  Fill 
to  within  two  inches  of  the  top  with  well-rotted 
muck,  drop  the  seed  three  inches  apart,  and  cover 
with  one  and  a  half  inch  of  soil. 

In  selecting  a  position  for  the  nursery,  i£  your 
place  is  well  prompted  by  water  on  the  cold  points 
you  may  risk  your  nursery  in  the  open  field.  But 
if  you  are  no);  satisfied  about  the  protection,  select  a 


38        ORANGE   CULTURE  IN  FLORIDA. 

position  sheltered  from  the  morning  sun,  to  prevent 
the  too  sudden  thawing  after  a  frost.  I  would  pre- 
fer shade  on  the  south  as  well,  as  the  sun  some- 
times breaks  out  suddenly  during  a  cold  snap  about 
noon.  Under  such  circumstances  I  have  known 
serious  damage  done  to  young  plants.  A  still  bet- 
ter plan  is  to  clear  away  a  half  or  a  quarter  of  an 
acre  of  ground  in  the  midst  of  a  tall  forest.  Around 
this  half  acre  or  quarter  acre  sink  a  ditch  two  feet 
deep,  in  order  to  cut  the  surface  roots  of  the  forest 
trees.  Plow  or  spade  the  land  deep.  Open  the 
rows  four  feet  apart  and  eight  or  ten  inches  deep, 
fill  them  with  good  muck  or  leaf  mould  clear  of  such 
litter  as  would  attract  wood-lice.  Over  this  muck 
place  an  inch  or  two  of  soil  to  keep  the  muck 
moist.  A  dressing  of  ashes  or  slaked  lime  will  be 
of  advantage,  especially  if  the  muck  has  not  been 
previously  well  rotted  in  heaps.  Your  land  can 
now  stand  till  the  trees  are  ready  to  be  taken  from 
the  seed-bed,  Some  prefer  putting  the  muck,  or 
whatever  fertilizer  is  used,  broadcast  over  the  land. 
But  my  reason  for  advising  the  muck  to  be  put  in 
drills  is  that  if  well  rotted  it  will  not  heat,  but  will 
serve  to  keep  the  roots  of  the  young  plant  in  a  com- 
pact body.  A  great  deal  is  saved  by  this  means 
when  you  come  to  transplant  to  the  grove  ;  the  roots 
having  grown  in  a  compact  body,  very  little  will  be 
lost  by  root-pruning.  And  where  the  distance  from 
the  nursery  to  the  grove  is  short,  and  .the  trans- 
planting is  done  when  the  ground  is  wet,  the  en- 


PLANTING    THE   ORANGE   SEED.         39 

tire  ball  of  muck  may  be  taken  along  with  and  ad- 
hering to  the  roots,  and  the  tree  hardly  feel  the 
shock  of  the  removal.  When  the  young  plants  in 
the  seed-beds  are  a  few  inches  high  and  have  four 
or  five  leaves,  they  may  be  transplanted  to  the  nur- 
sery. In  taking  them  up,  cut  off  the  ends  of  the 
tap-roots  so  that  they  will  not  be  apt  to  double  up 
in  setting  them.  The  setting  is  better  done  in 
rainy  weather.  The  ground  should  be  thoroughly 
wet  in  order  to  insure  a  good  result.  The  rows  can 
now  be  opened  four  or  five  inches  deep,  and  the 
young  plants  dropped  at  a  distance  of  six  inches 
apart.  Let  a  hand  follow,  and  before  the  roots  have 
time  to  dry  set  them  in  an  upright  position,  care- 
fully spreading  out  the  roots  and  packing  the  soil 
around  them.  Be  careful  not  to  set  the  plants 
deeper  than  they  grew  in  the  seed-beds.  When  a 
row  or  two  have  been  set,  level  off  the  ground  with 
a  rake,  leaving  the  sandy  soil  on  the  surface  and 
not  the  muck,  as  the  latter  hardens  under  the  influ- 
ence of  the  sun.  If  a  shower  does  not  follow  soon, 
it  is  well  to  water,  in  order  to  settle  the  earth  well 
around  the  roots.  If  the  sun  is  hot,  a  little  shade 
for  a  few  weeks  would  be  beneficial.  Pme  boughs 
can  be  laid  over  the  ground,  or  palmetto  leaves 
stuck  along  the  rows.  The  nursery  should  be 
thoroughly  worked  and  kept  clear  of  weeds  and 
grass,  and  the  soil  frequently  stirred  to  the  depth  of 
two  inches. 

Eight  or  ten  months  before  removing  the  plants 


40        ORANGE   CULTURE   IN  FLORIDA. 

from  the  nursery,  root-prune  the  young  plants. 
This  can  be  done  by  pushing  a  sharp  spade  eight 
or  ten  inches  deep  on  each  side,  and  six  inches 
from  the  rows.  This  can  be  done  more  expedi- 
tiously  by  placing  a  revolving  cutter  on  a  plow  to 
be  drawn  by  a  horse.  This  method  of  root-pruning 
has  all  the  advantage  of  replanting,  with  the  addi- 
tional advantage  of  great  saving  of  labor  and  little 
check  to  the  growing  plants. 


CHAPTER  VI. 

BUDDING. 

HERE  it  is  the  purpose  of  the  orange-grower 
to  bud  his  trees  it  is  better  that  the  budding 
should  be  done  before  the  trees  are  taken  from 
the  nursery.  The  reasons  are — ist,  the  sooner  in 
the  life  of  the  tree  the  budding  is  done  the  earlier 
and  more  thorough  the  .  healing  of  the  wounds  ; 
2d,  the  budding  is  done  with  greater  ease  and  ra- 
pidity in  the  nursery  than  in  the  grove  ;  3d,  in 
transplanting  trees  of  considerable  size  it  is  impos- 
sible to  take  up  all  the  roots,  and  as  it  is  necessary 
that  the  top  should  not  exceed  in  proportion  the 
roots  in  transplanting  trees,  it  is  beneficial  to  cut 
back  the  top  considerably.  If  the  budding  has 
been  done  but  a  few  months  before  transplanting, 
the  wounds  will  have  healed  and  the  proportion  be- 
tween the  roots  and  top  will  have  become  about 
right  for  transplanting  without  the  necessity  of  in- 
flicting new  wounds  upon  the  branches  at  a  time 
when  the  tree  is  in  its  most  tender  condition. 

A  good  time  to  begin  to  bud  is  when  the  trees  in 
the  nursery  are  one  year  old.  By  budding  every 
alternate  tree  the  budded  trees  can  be  set  the  fol- 


42        ORANGE   CULTURE  IN  FLORIDA. 

lowing  season,  leaving  greater  space  for  larger 
growth  of  the  trees  left  in  the  nursery.  Those  re- 
maining can  be  budded  when  two  years  old  and 
set  the  season  following.  Where  trees  are  to  be 
bought  from  the  nurseryman  it  is  preferable  to 
plant  trees  older  than  one  or  two  years,  as  older 
trees  come  into  bearing  sooner.  But  where  per- 
sons are  growing  their  own  stock,  the  sooner  they 
are  set,  after  the  first  year,  in  position,  the  more 
rapidly  they  will  grow,  if  the  trees  are  properly 
cultivated. 

In  budding  nursery  stock,  but  one  plan,  that  of 
inserting  a  single  bud,  is  practised.  The  graft  has 
not  done  well.  Grafted  trees  will  live,  but  they  do 
not  grow  so  thriftily  as  the  budded  tree.  Grafting 
is  sometimes  resorted  to  when  one  wishes  to  pre- 
serve a  new  variety,  and  he  has  obtained  a  cutting 
of  this  new  variety  in  winter  when  the  sap  is  not  in 
condition  for  budding.  Sprig  budding  is  not  re- 
sorted to  for  nursery  stock,  as  the  stem  is  usually 
too  small  to  admit  the  sprig.  Do  not  attempt  to 
bud  except  when  the  sap  is  flowing  freely — so  freely 
that  the  bud  will  readily  lift  the  bark  as  you  push 
it  downward  into  its  position.  The  stock  to  be 
budded  should  be  trimmed  so  as  to  have  as  few  as 
possible  of  branches  or  leaves  in  the  way  of  the  oper- 
ator. The  trimming  should  be  done  several  days 
beforehand,  so  that  the  wounds  may  be  in  a  healing 
condition  and  the  flow  of  sap  not  checked  by  too 
much  cutting  at  the  time  of  budding.  The  bud- 


BUDDING.  43 

ding-knife  should  be  sharp,  that  it  may  cut  through 
the  hard  wood  of  the  bud  without  splitting  the  fibre 
of  the  wood  or  bark. 

Select  buds  from  healthy  and  vigorous  trees  of 
the  variety  to  be  propagated.  They  should  not  be 
too  old  or  they  will  be  slow  in  starting,  nor  too 
young  lest  they  perish.  The  wood  from  which  they 
are  taken  should  be  nearly  mature,  between  the 
angular  and  the  round.  Select  buds  with  well-de- 
veloped eyes.  It  is  sometimes  the  case  that  insects 
have  eaten  out  the  eyes.  It  is  useless  to  put  in 
such  buds.  In  cutting  the  bud  from-  the  branch,  do 
not  hold  the  blade  of  the  knife  at  right  angles  with 
the  branch,  as  in  such  a  position  it  is  likely  to  slip 
in  and  out,  following  the  grain  of  the  wood,  and  so 
giving  an  uneven  surface  to  the  face  of  the  bud. 
The  face  of  the  bud  should  be  so  level  and  straight 
that  when  it  is  pushed  into  its  position  the  cut  sur- 
face will  at  all  points  touch  the  wood  of  the 
stock  and  so  exclude  the  air.  To  prevent  this  ir- 
regularity of  surface,  hold  the  blade  of  the  knife 
firmly  in  the  hand  and  almost  parallel  1fwith:  the 
branch  from  which  the  bud  is  being  cut,  ,  In  cut- 
ting, draw  the  knife  to  you,  as  the  cut  will  be 
smoother  by  this  method  than  if  the  bud  were  sev- 
ered from  the  branch  by  simply  pressing  the  blade 
through  the  wood.  The  knife  should  be  inserted 
half  an  inch  above  the  bud  and  come  out  a  half  or 
three  quarters  of  an  inch  below.  It.  is  better  to 
insert  the  bud  on  the  north  side  of  the  stock.  The 


44        ORANGE   CULTURE  IN  FLORIDA. 

incision  in'  the  stock  should  be  made  with  a  down- 
ward cut  and  about  three  fourths  of  an  inch  long. 
At  the  top  of  this  incision  make  a  cross  incision, 
each  time  only  cutting  through  the  bark.  With 
the  point  of  the  knife,  turning  the  back  of  the  blade 
to  the  wood  so  as  not  to  dull  the  blade,  raise  the 
bark  at  the  top  of  and  on  either  side  of  the  first  in- 
cision, so  as  to  enable  you  to  insert  and  push  down 
the  bud.  If  the  sap  is  flowing  freely  the  bud  in  its 
downward  motion  will  easily  lift  the  bark,  and  as 
it  takes  its  position  exclude  the  air  from  beneath  it 
and  the  wood  of  the  stock.  After  the  bud  has 
been  pushed  partly  down  with  the  fingers,  place 
the  blade  of  the  knife  one  fourth  of  an  inch  above 
the  eye  of  the  bud  and  perpendicular  to  the  line  of 
the  first  incision,  press  the  knife  through  the  bark 
of  the  bud,  and  by  a  downward  motion  force  the 
bud  down  till  the  knife  comes  directly  over  the  sec- 
ond incision.  Tie  in  the  bud  with  strips  of  cloth  a 
quarter  or  a  half  inch  wide,  or,  what  is  better,  with 
strings  of  woollen  yarn,  as  its  elasticity  will  not  al- 
low the  strangling  of  the  bud  so  soon.  In  tying 
do  not  bring  the  cloth  or  string  in  contact  with  the 
eye  of  the  bud.  So  wrap  as  to  hold  the  bud  firmly 
in  its  place,  and  to  exclude  the  rain  if  any  should 
fall  soon  after  budding.  Revisit  the  buds  eight 
or  ten  days  after  they  have  been  inserted.  If  they 
are  living,  take  the  wrapping  from  that  part  of  the 
bud  below  the  eye.  The  wrapping  above  the  eye 
may  be  loosened,  but  it  should  not  be  taken  off  so 


BUDDING.  45 

soon.  Where  the  bud  is  living,  .cut  off  the  stock 
three  or  four  inches  above.  As  the  bud  grows  it 
should  be  tied  to  this  upper  section  of  the  stock  for 
support  After  the  bud  has  started  on  its  second 
growth,  if  the  stock  is  small  it  should  then  be  cut 
off  just  above  the  bud  ;  if  larger,  a  longer  time 
should  be  allowed  before  cutting  off  the  stock  close 
to  the  bud. 

Before  leaving  this  subject,  attention  is  called  to 
the  importance  of  having  the  top  of  the  bud  fit 
neatly  against  the  bark  above.  The  law  governing 
the  growth  of  trees  is  this  :  the  sap  passing  upward 
through  the  pores  of  the  sap-wood  is  elaborated 
through  the  leaf.  It  is  only  after  the  new  sap  has 
entered  the  leaf  and  absorbed  carbon  from  the  at- 
mosphere that  it  is  ready  to  make  new  wood.  The 
sap  having  secured  its  carbon  descends  the  tree 
mainly  between  the  bark  and  the  wood.  As  it  de- 
scends evaporation  is  carried  on  through  the  pores 
of  the  bark,  and  the  thickened  sap  makes  a  deposit 
along  the  line  of  its  descent  and  around  the  trunk 
of  the  tree  just  under  the  bark.  This  thickened 
sap  presently  hardens  into  wood.  It  is  this  fact, 
that  new  wood  is  generally  formed  by  'this  down- 
ward flow  of  sap,  which  makes  it  so  important  that 
the  top  of  the  bud  should  come  in  close  contact 
with  the  upper  bark.  Placed  thus  it  is  put  in  con- 
tact with  and  in  the  way  of  the  direct  current  of 
life.  Placed  otherwise,  its  chance  of  life  is  dependent 
upon  lateral  circulation  or  absorption. 


46        ORANGE   CULTURE  IN  FLORIDA. 

If  the  buds  are. from  the  Mandarin  or  Tangerine 
varieties,  insert  them  during  spring  or  autumn,  as 
they  do  not  live  readily  when  inserted  during  the 
heat  of  summer. 


CHAPTER  VII. 

SELECTING  A  LOCATION  FOR  AN  ORANGE  GROVE. 

fpECIAL  reference  should  be  had  to  drainage, 
soil,  water  protection,  forest  protection,  prox- 
imity to  fertilizers,  and  facilities  for  transporta- 
tion. The  soil  for  a  grove  should  be  thoroughly 
drained,  either  naturally  or  artificially.  Not  only 
should  the  surface  water  be  carried  off,  but  the 
drainage  should  be  so  deep  as  to  allow  roots,  and 
especially  the  tap-root,  to  penetrate  for  several  feet. 
Some  think  that  less  than  ten  feet  is  not  sufficient. 
But  there  are  in  this  State  groves  of  fine  old  trees 
and  good  bearers  with  considerably  less  than  ten 
feet  of  drained  soil.  The  sour  stock  will  flourish 
on  a  much  wetter  soil  than  the  sweet.  And  it  may 
be  that  these  groves  that  have  long  done  well  in 
such  localities  are  sour  stocks  budded.  Where 
choice  of  location  can  be  made,  and  especially  if 
sweet  stocks  are  to  be  planted,  select  a  soil  well 
drained  by  nature.  Art  and  labor  can  accomplish 
a  great  deal,  but  it  costs  something,  and  the  effect 
is  not  so  permanent  as  when  nature  has  done  the 
work.  If  no  positive  evil  arise  from  a  wet  subsoil 
in  close  proximity  to  the  surface,  still  there  are 
reasons  why  a  deep,  dry,  or  moist  soil  is  better. 


48        ORANGE   CULTURE  IN  FLORIDA. 

While  it  is  true  that  the  principal  feeders  of  the 
orange  lie  near  the  surface,  yet  whoever  will  take 
the  pains  to  examine  the  roots  of  an  old  orange  tree 
grown  in  a  deep  and  well-drained  subsoil  will  find 
that  these  roots  have  penetrated  for  many  feet  deep 
into  the  earth  and  in  all  directions  from  the  tree. 
Now  if  trees  have  been  set  twenty  feet  apart  in  the 
grove  and  the  soil  is  drained  but  one  foot  deep,  the 
roots  of  each  tree  have  but  four  hundred  cubic  feet 
pf  soil  in  which  to  feed — 20  x  20  ==  400.  But  if  the 
soil  has  been  drained  to  the  depth  of  ten  feet,  then 
the  feeding  ground  for  the  roots  has  been  increased 
tenfold,  and  instead  of  four  hundred  cubic  feet  of 
soil  in  which  to  feed,  the  tree  has  four  thousand  cu- 
bic feet — 20  x  20  x  10  =  4000.  This  advantage  is 
more  especially  to  be  considered  where  the  subsoil  is 
sandy,  as  in  such  a  soil  air  and  other  nutriment  for 
the  roots  penetrate  to  a  greater  depth.  But  there 
are  some  of  these  wet  soils  found  in  our  State  that 
are  positively  poisonous  to  the  orange,  as  they  con- 
tain a  large  per  centum  of  salt — chloride  of  sodium. 
Such  is  the  case  with  soils  underlaid  with  "  hard- 
pan,"  a  stratum  seemingly  of  dark  sandstone,  un- 
derlying many  sections  of  our  State,  and  generally 
but  a  few  feet  from  the  surface.  Analysis  will 
probably  show  this  "  hard-pan"  to  be  a  concrete  of 
sand,  iron,  ar\d  salt.  The  best  surface  indication 
of  the  presence  of  "  hard-pan"  is  an  abundance  of 
saw  palmetto  with  an  abundance  of  roots  above  the 
surface.  The  palmetto  feeds  largely  upon  salt,  its 


SELECTING  A  LOCATION.  49 

roots  containing  an  unusually  large  per  cent.  But 
"  what  is  fun"  and  life  to  the  palmetto  is  death  to 
the  orange,  as  well  as  to  the  pockets  of  hundreds  of 
those  who  have  attempted  in  vain  to  grow  oranges 
on  lands  underlaid  with  "hard-pan."  If  your 
land  has  on  it  an  abundance  of  saw  palmetto  with 
roots  on  the  surface,  do  not  select  that  location  for 
an  orange  grove  until  you  have  dug  a  few  feet  be- 
low the  surface  in  search  of  "  hard-pan."  If  you 
wish  to  ascertain  the  depth  of  natural  drainage,  re- 
visit the  hole  twenty-four  hours  after  it  is  dug,  and 
measure  the  distance  from  the  top  of  the  water  to 
the  surface  of  the  ground.  The  distance  is  the 
depth  of  the  natural  drainage  of  the  soil. 

The  orange  will  grow  in  a  variety  of  soils — in 
clayey,  sandy,  shelly,  or  loamy  soils  ;  in  ham- 
mocks black  or  gray  ;  on  -pine  lands  or  black-jack 
ridges.  It  does  well  on  soil  underlaid  with  clay  or 
sand.  It  will  even  do  well  on  a  light  soil  underlaid 
with  white  sand  if  fertilizers  are  annually  applied. 
But  whoever  wishes  to  plant  an  orange  grove  should 
be  careful  to  select  the  best  available  soil.  Perhaps 
the  poorest  soil  suitable  for  orange-growing  is  that 
underlaid  with  a  white  sand,  as  such  a  soil  leaches 
very  readily  the  soluble  manure.  Perhaps  the  best 
soil  is  found  in  our  dark  gray  hammock  with  deep 
soil  underlaid  with  a  yellow  clay  or  yellow  sand 
subsoil.  The  natural  growth  should  be  tall  and 
large,  with  an  abundance  of  live  oak  and  hickory, 
as  such  a  growth  would  indicate  an  abundance  of 


50        ORANGE   CULTURE  IN  FLORIDA. 

lime.  Of  our  pine  land,  that  on  which  the  hickory 
is  found  mixed  with  the  pine,  with  yellow  subsoil, 
should  rank  first.  Such  a  soil  is  really  a  mixed 
hammock  and  pine.  Next  to  this  is  the  pine 
mixed  with  willow,  oak,  and  black-jack.  Consid- 
ering the  ease  with  which  such  lands  as  the  last 
two  classes  are  cleared  and  planted,  and  the  readiness 
with  which  the  orange  grows  on  them,  they  deserve 
a  high  rank,  and  especially  if  fertilizers  are  close  at 
hand.  In  selecting  a  location  in  the  purely  pine 
lands,  select  that  which  is  thickly  set  with  tall  trees, 
well  drained,  and  with  a  yellow  subsoil.  Such  soils, 
if  occasionally  dressed  with  alkaline  manures,  grow 
the  orange  admirably. 

While  with  proper  care  the  orange  may  be  grown 
successfully  in  almost  any  portion  of  the  State  of 
Florida,  still  it  is  wise  to  select  a  location  which 
may  combine  all  conditions  favorable  to  the  best 
results.  Among  the  favorable  conditions  we  would 
mention  water  protection.  Whoever  has  travelled 
over  the  State,  not  by  railroad  or  steamboat,  but 
through  the  country,  and  noted  the  effects  of  frost 
here  and  there  upon  the  orange  trees,  and  es- 
pecially at  the  close  of  a  severe  winter,  must  attach 
great , importance  to  water  protection.  Its  advan- 
tages were  known  to  the  old  settlers,  as  witness  their 
frequent  advice  to  those  who  in  later  years  have 
gone  into  the  orange  business.  Its  advantages 
were  known  to  and  made  available  by  nature  so  far 
back  that  ' '  the  memory  of  man  knoweth  not  to  the 


SELECTING  A  LOCATION.  51 

contrary, ' '  as  witness  the  many  wild-orange  groves 
to  the  south-east  of  lakes  and  rivers.  As  our  coldest 
winds  come  from  the  north-west,  the  benefit  of  water 
protection  on  any  given  location  is  in  proportion  to 
the  width  of  the  water  lying  to  the  north-west,  and 
the  proximity  of  such  a  body  of  water  to  said  loca- 
tion. There  may  be  seeming  .exceptions  to  this 
general  rule.  Air  currents  are  governed  by  laws 
similar  to  those  governing  water.  Hence,  when 
any  obstruction  suddenly  opposes  a  current,  whether 
of  air  or  water,  an  eddy  or  circular  motion  is  given 
to  the  current.  Bodies  of  timber  with  dense  under- 
growth standing  on  the  north  or  north-west  of  a 
grove  and  along  the  shore  of  the  river  or  lake  have 
the  effect  of  creating  a  rolling  current  of  air  like  a 
breaker  from  the  ocean  rolling  over  a  sandbar,  and 
so,  when  the  wind  is  from  the  north-west,  bring 
down  upon  the  grove  a  stratum  of  freezing  air  from 
above.  The  remedy  for  this  is  to  clear  out  the  un- 
derbrush along  the  shore  and  allow  the  warmer  air 
from  the  surface  of  the  water  to  flow  through  the 
grove.  The  taller  trees  should  stand  to  keep  the 
violence  of  the  wind  from  the  orange  .grove,  and  to 
check  the  violence  of  the  air  current  upon  the  moist 
soil,  which  readily  yields  its  moisture  along  with  its 
heat  to  a  strong  air  current,  and  so  intensifies  the 
cold.  It  is  regretted  that  some  good  locations  along 
the  St.  Johns  have  been  marred,  and  groves  made  to 
suffer  damage  from  want  of  attention  to  the  above. 
The  above  facts  also  account  for  the  well-known 


52        ORANGE   CULTURE  IN  FLORIDA. 

fact  that  the  frost  sometimes  "  strikes  in  spots  or 
streaks. ' ' 

Proximity  to  fertilizers  is  another  favorable  cori- 

-  dition  to  be  considered.     The  orange  tree  is  a  rav- 
enous feeder  and  an  abundant  bearer,  and  however 
fertile  the  original  soil  may  be,  and  even  though  it 
should  be  sufficient  to  produce  fine  trees  and  sus- 
tain  them  for  a  few  years,  any  soil  would  finally 
become    exhausted  and    need  to  be  replenished. 
Commercial  manures  can  be  bought,  but  even  when 
transportation   is   cheap   the  cost  is  considerable. 
The  abundant  and  frequent  deposits  of  muck  in  al- 
most every  locality  'have  been  shown  by  repeated 
experiments  to  be  a  valuable  fertilizer.     It  would 
be  well  for  the  person  looking  for  a  location  for  an 
orange  grove  to  have  an  eye  to  such  a  deposit  close 
to  the  place  for  the  intended  grove.     Leaves  and 
ashes  from  a  hammock  close  at  hand,  a  shell  bank, 
or   limestone  from  which  lime  may  be  procured, 
should  also  be  considered. 

Facilities  for  transportation  is  the  last  item  to  be 

-  noticed  in  this  chapter  of  favorable  conditions  to  be 
considered  in  locating  an  orange  grove.    One  other 
condition  will  be  discussed  in  a  separate  chapter. 
The  orange  will  bear  transportation  well,  whether 
the  expense  of  transportation  or  perishableness  of 
the  fruit  be  considered.      But  it  would  be  well  for 
the  reader  contemplating  planting  oranges  to  esti- 
mate the  cost  of  hauling,  say  five  miles  by  wagon 
or  cart,  an  average  crop  of  oranges  grown  on  an 


SELECTING  A    LOCATION.  $3 

acre,  before  he  locates  too  far  from  a  navigable 
stream  or  from  a  railroad.  He  can  make  the  esti- 
mate for  himself,  and  it  will  certainly  have  some 
weignt  in  determining  the  location. 

Some  of  the  finest  young  trees  I  have  seen  in  the 
State  stand  upon  a  sandy  loam — the  original  growth 
pine — underlaid  with  clay  four  or  five  feet  below 
the  surface,  on  which  rested  a  thin  stratum  of  marl. 
I  have  seen  trees  six  years  from  the  seed  on  such 
soils  produce  from  four  hundred  to  five  hundred 
oranges. 


CHAPTER   VIII. 

THE    ADVANTAGES    OF   PARTIAL    FOREST   SHELTER. 

fHE  frequent  discussion  of  the  subject  consid- 
ered in  this  chapter  among  orange- growers, 
its  importance  to  all,  and  especially  its  impor- 
tance to  many  portions  of  the  State  where  suc- 
cess must  ever  depend  upon  either  forest  or  some 
artificial  protection,  demands  careful  attention. 
Many  persons  have  heretofore  considered  it  un- 
necessary, and  the  idea  even  absurd.  But  years  of 
experience  and  observation,  and  especially  the  ex- 
perience of  the  winter  of  1876-7,  have  made  many 
converts.  Let  the  reader  consider  some  facts  that 
may  be  mentioned. 

Wild  groves  have  grown  luxuriantly,  have  borne 
abundantly,  and  lasted,  no  one  knows  how  long, 
not  suffering,  so  far  as  the  writer  has  been  informed, 
even  from  the  severe  frost  of  1835  ;  and  all  under 
forest  protection.  Again,  all  through  Florida 
in  almost  every  old  settled  community,  and  even 
in  the  southern  tier  of  counties  in  Georgia,  there 
are  a  few  old  trees  standing  and  bearing  well  fine 
fruit.  Hundreds  seeing  these  trees  have  thought 
that  what  has  been  done  once  can  be  done  again, 
and  have  planted  in  the  immediate  vicinity  of  such 
trees,  but  unfortunately  in  the  open  field,  or,  what 


AD  VANTA GES  OF  FOREST  SHEL  TER.    55 

is  equally  fatal,  where  the  morning  sun  would 
smite  the  orange  tree  after  a  frost ;  and  have  fail- 
ed. They  have  failed  to  consider  that  these 
trees  that  have  survived  so  long  and  done  so 
well  were  planted  in  almost  a  dense  forest,  when 
only  a  few  forest  trees  had  been  cut  to  give  place 
to  the  cabin  of  the  early  settler  ;  or  that  they 
were  planted  on  the  north  or  west  side  of  the  house 
and  thus  never  exposed  to  sudden  thawing  ;  that 
under  some  such  protection  of  house  or  forest  they 
passed  through  the  tender  age  of  their  early  life 
until  their  own  boughs  could  furnish  their  trunks 
the  protection  needed.  As  to  the  questions  of  pro- 
ductiveness and  thrift  under  partial  forest  protection, 
they  are  settled  by  the  success  of  the  few  who  in  the 
face  of  opposing  theories  have  planted  and  succeed- 
ed. Some  of  the  most  thrifty  young  groves  in  the 
State,  grown  with  less  expense  and  equal  to  any  of 
their  age  in  productiveness,  have  been  grown  under 
the  shelter  of  the  pine  or  oak  trees.  Many  groves 
in  a  most  flourishing  condition,  and  supposed  to 
be  well  located  with  reference  to  protection  from 
frost,  some  far  south  and  with  considerable  water 
to  the  north-west,  were  seriously  damaged  in  the 
winter  of  1876-7,  and  many  trees  beginning  to 
bear  entirely  killed  ;  but  the  writer  has  not  heard 
of  a  single  instance  of  damage  to  trees  in  that  win- 
ter where  they  were  protected  by  forest  trees  stand- 
ing to  the  south  and  east  of  the  oranges. 

Even  the  lemon,  in   76-7,  much  tenderer  than 


56        ORANGE   CULTURE  IN  FLORIDA. 

the  orange,  was  unhurt  where  so  protected.  One 
other  instance.  On  the  south  or  south-east  of  Or- 
ange Lake  stood  two  beautiful  and  extensive  orange 
groves  side  by  side.  They  were  wild  groves  budded 
and  just  coming  into  bearing.  They  both  had  the 
same  water  protection.  One  grove  was  judiciously 
protected  by  forest  trees  left  standing  at  suitable  in- 
tervals ;  the  other  grove  was  without  such  forest  pro- 
tection-. All  the  forest  trees  had  been  cut  down. 
A  few  days  after  the  severe  frost  of  the  winter  of 
1876-7  the  sheltered  grove  was  still  as  green  as  in 
midsummer^  while  the  other  appeared  as  though  a 
fire  had  swept  through  it.  Its  leaves  were  dead  or 
fallen,  while  thousands  of  dollars'  worth  of  fruit, 
frozen  and  spoiled,  hung  upon  the  naked  branches. 
The  owner  estimates  that  if  he  had  left  a  few  forest 
trees  in  his  grove  they  would  now  be  worth  to  him 
twenty  thousand  dollars.  Are  not  such  facts  suffi- 
cient to  check  somewhat  the  reckless  destruction  of 
our  noble  forest  trees  and  nature's  chosen  pro- 
tectors ? 

In  leaving  trees  for  purposes  of  shelter  for  the 
orange,  the  direction  given  in  Chapter  III.  on  bud- 
ding sour  groves  should  be  attended  to.  Suitable 
trees  at  suitable  distances  should  be  left.  Three 
things  are  especially  desirable  :  ist,  the  rays  of  the 
early  morning  sun  should  be  kept  from  falling  di- 
rectly on  the  frosted  trees.  As  the  sun  hangs  far  to 
the  south  during  our  coldest  weather,  tall  forest 
trees  on  the  south  and  east  would  materially  benefit 


A  D  VA  NT  A  GES  OF  FOREST  SHEL  TER.     5  7 

orange  trees  standing  from  one  to  two  hundred  feet 
from  them  ;  2d,  the  rays  of  the  sun  should  be  per- 
mitted to  fall,  during  some  portion  of  the  day,  and 
in  summer  during  a  considerable  portion  of  the 
day.  upon  each  tree  in  the  grove,  as  the  rays  of  the 
sun,  direct  or  indirect,  are  essential  to  plant  life  and 
health.  But  in  our  sunny  climate  and  long  sum- 
mers, shade  and  sun  alternating  throughout  the 
day  are  found  to  be  most  favorable  to  many  plants  ; 
3d,  the  roots  of  the  forest  trees  should  be  kept  out 
of  the  way  of  the  principal  feeders  of  the  orange. 
Of  course  the  orange  trees  should  be  as  thoroughly 
cultivated  as  if  they  stood  in  the  open  field.  Fail- 
ures in  forest  culture — and  there  have  been  some 
abominable  failures  —  have  occurred  only  where 
these  points  have  been  disregarded. 

The  following  plan  is  suggested  as  one  to  which 
it  is  believe^  no  reasonable  exception  can  be  made. 
Select  a  forest  of  tall  and  thickly  set  trees,  whether 
of  pine  or  hammock.  Clear  out  the  underbrush 
so  as  to  allow  a  free  circulation  of  air  and  to  enable 
you  to  lay  off  more  accurately  your  land.  This 
done,  lay  off  a  straight  line  as  the  base  of  operating. 
Allowing  your  land  to  be  a  plat  of  five  acres  lying 
north  and  south,  let  this  base  line  run  east  and 
west  fifty  feet  north  of  and  parallel  to  your  south- 
ern boundary.  Run  a  second  line  one  hundred 
and  five  feet  north  of  and  parallel  to  the  first ;  so 
continue  through  the  plat,  running  these  east  and 
west  lines  at  intervals  between,  alternating  from 


58        ORANGE   CULTURE  IN  FLORIDA. 

fifty  to  one  hundred  and  five,  and  from  one  hun- 
dred and  five  to  fifty  feet  apart  Now  begin  on  the 
east  side,  and  fifty  feet  from  your  eastern  boundary 
you  can  run  your  base  line  perpendicular  to  your 
first  base  line.  Go  through  the  plat  as  before,  alter- 
nating the  distances  between  the  lines  from  fifty  to 
one  hundred  and  five  feet  apart.  You  now  have 
your  land  laid  off  in  smaller  squares  of  fifty  feet, 
and  parallelograms  of  fifty  by  one  hundred  and  five 
feet.  The  timber  on  these  smaller  squares  and 
parallelograms  is  to  be  left  standing.  You  have 
also  a  number  of  large  squares  105  x  105,  or  about 
one  quarter  of  an  acre  each.  These  larger  squares 
are  to  be  cleared  of  the  timber  and  made  ready  for 
planting  orange  trees,  and  each  square  will  be 
found  to  be  surrounded  on  all  sides  by  a  strip  of 
timber  fifty  feet  wide.  Around  these  squares  next 
to  the  timber  cut  a  ditch  two  and  a  half,  or,  if  you 
wish,  three  ieet  deep,  so  as  to  cut  all  the  roots  of 
forest  trees  that  would  interfere  with  the  orange. 
To  prevent  this  ditch  from  draining  the  moisture 
.from  the  grove,  fill  it  with  the  litter  from  the  orange 
land  and  leaves  from  the  forest.  The  next  year 
clear  out  this  ditch,  use  the  rotten  leaves  as  a  fer- 
tilizer for  your  grove,  and  fill  the  ditch  again  with 
leaves  from  the  forest  around.  By  this  means  you 
can  have  an  endless  supply  of  manure  close  at 
hand,  and  you  can  have  the  benefit  of  the  sun  and 
the  benefit  of  forest  protection  without  any  damage 
from  the  roots  of  the  forest  trees. 


ADVANTAGES  OF  FOREST  SHELTER.    59 

In  sections  where  the  frost  does  not  fall  so  heav- 
ily these  squares  for  the  orange  may  be  greatly  en- 
larged. But  for  the  northern  tier  of  counties  in 
this  State,  where  there  may  not  be  sufficient  water 
protection,  the  dimensions  given  are  large  enough. 

With  such  a  system  as  the  above  no  man  in  Flor- 
ida who  has  the  soil  and  the  timber  need  hesitate  to 
plant  largely  of  this  valuable  fruit,  both  for  himself 
and  for  market. 

In  the  cut  below,  the  dark  lines  represent  the 
forest  which  has  not  been  cut  away  ;  the  white  spaces 
represent,  the  spaces  cleared  for  orange  trees. 


CHAPTER  IX 

•  "  THE  FROST  LINE"  AND  "THE  ORANGE  BELT." 

flJCH  has  been  said  and  written  in  certain  por- 
tions of  Florida  concerning  "  the  frost  line" 
and  "  the  orange  belt."  I  regret  to  put  into  this 
treatise  a  single  line  that  savors  of  controversy.  Bui 
justice  and  truth  demand  that  certain  statements  be 
corrected,  and  the  public  informed  as  to  the  facts. 
There  are  so  many  good  places  in  Florida  that 
many  men  who  have  places  imagine  theirs  to  be 
best  Now  it  is  very  fortunate  that  there  are  so 
many  good  places,  but  it  is  very  unfortunate  that 
one  section  should  be  praised  by  its  inhabitants  to 
the  detriment  of  another  equally  good.  No  good 
has  come  to  the  State  at  large,  and  I  doubt  if  any 
will  come,  in  the  long  run,  to  the  special  community 
that  pursues  such  an  unjust  course.  The  climate 
of  Florida  is  so  excellent,  her  soil  so  varied,  her  at- 
tractions so  great,  that  multitudes  will  continue  to 
come,  as  'they  are  now  coming,  from  the  Northern 
and  'Western  States,  and  from  Europe,  till  all  our 
goodly  land  is  filled  with  a  thrifty  and  contented 
population.  Do  not  let  any  of  her  citizens  say 
anything  that  would  injure  the  adopted  mother  of 
us  all. 


"FROST  LINE"  AND  ''ORANGE  BELT."   6l 

As  to  "the  frost  line,"  there  is  no  portion  of 
the  peninsula  of  Florida  that  is  not  subject  to  oc- 
casional frost.  I  have  seen  the  effects  of  frost  as 
low  down  as  Fort  Myers.  Persons  whose  state- 
ments are  entirely  reliable,  and  residents  of  the  sec- 
tion, have  told  me  time  and  again  that  they  have 
occasionally  had  their  vegetables  killed  on  the  ex- 
treme southern  capes  of  the  peninsula.  That  frost 
is  modified  by  latitude  there  is  no  question  ;  that 
the  southern  portions  of  the  State  are  less  liable  to 
frost  than  the  northern  portions  there  is  no  doubt ; 
but  do  not  deceive  the  immigrant  by  saying  or  im- 
plying that  any  portion  of  the  mainland  of  Florida 
is  entirely  exempt  from  frost.  And  I  do  not  know 
that  this  is  to  be  deprecated.  For  while  "  Jack 
Frost"  is  an  unskilled  pruner,  and  by  the  little  cut- 
ting he  does  in  Florida  may  do  some  hurt,  yet  I 
think  upon  the  whole  both  the  orange  tree  and  the 
health  of  the  inhabitants  are  the  better  for  his  visits. 
I  am  sure  my  own  orange  trees  were  never  so  free 
from  insects  and  in  so  healthy  condition  as  to-day, 
eight  months  after  the  frost  of  December,  1880. 
And  the  only  trees  of  my  grove  now  giving  indica- 
tion of  rust  on  the  fruit  are  those  where  the  frost 
left  a  few  leaves,  giving  a  wintering  and  start  to  the 
rust  insect. 

.As  to  "  the  orange  belt,"  there  is  no  "  orange 
belt"  in  Florida,  unless  those  who  so  frequently  use 
that  expression  mean  to  embrace  the  entire  State. 
I  do  not  mean  to  say  that  certain  portions  of  the 


62        ORANGE  CULTURE  IN  FLORIDA. 

State  are  not  more  favorable  to  the  growth  of  the 
orange  than  other  portions,  but  I  do  mean  to  say  that 
the  orange  is  so  hardy  that  it  can  be  grown  profitably 
in  any  part  of  Florida  where  proper  cultivation  is  be- 
stowed and  available  protection  given  against  the 
effects  of  frost.  No  finer  oranges  are  grown  than  are 
grown  in  West  Florida.  On  Fort  George  Island,  at 
the  mouth  of  the  St.  John's  River,  the  thermometer 
fell  to  1 6°,  and  yet  the  young  grove  of  Mr.  Stuart, 
planted  according  to  the  diagram  given  in  the  last 
chapter,  is  at  present  writing  in  fine  condition.  A 
few  trees  have  done  well  on  the  mainland  across 
the  line  dividing  Florida  and  Georgia,  while  on  the 
islands  along  the  coast  old  groves  in  good  condi- 
tion are  to  be  found  as  high  up  as  South  Carolina. 
The  frost  of  last  winter  caused  the  leaves  to  drop 
from  the  trees  of  the  last-named  groves,  but  the 
owners  with  whom  I  have  recently  conferred  report 
their  trees  in  good  condition. 

I  do  not  wish  to  be  understood  as  advising  per- 
sons who  wish  to  come  to  Florida  exclusively  to 
plant  oranges  to  settle  in  Middle  Florida.  Other 
'portions  of  the  State  would  suit  better  for  this- busi- 
ness. But  were  I  owner  of  some  of  the  fine  lands 
of  the  above-named  section,  and  had  such  excel- 
lent protection  as  their  fine  forests  and  lakes  afford, 
I  should  not  hesitate  to  plant  largely  of  the  golden 
fruit. 


CHAPTER  X. 

THE  EFFECT  OF  FROST  ON  PLANTS. 

fHIS  is  a  matter  of  such  moment  that  it  needs 
to  be  closely  studied,  and,  if  possible,  thoroughly 
understood  by  all  persons  engaged  in  agricultural 
or  horticultural  pursuits.  Either  extreme  of  heat 
or  cold  is  damaging  to  vegetation.  Some  plants 
are  hardier  than  others,  and  so  are  less  easily  affect- 
ed by  either  extreme.  Some  families  of  plants  are 
so  hardy  that  they  extend  over  nearly  the  habitable 
part  of  our  globe.  Some  perennials  are  created 
with  reference  to  greater  heat,  and  are  so  limited  in 
their  natural  condition  to  the  tropics  or  the  torrid 
zone.  Others  are  created  with  reference  to  extreme 
cold,  and  hence  are  found  in  Arctic  regions  or  on 
lofty  mountains.  While  others,  annuals,  reach 
maturity  within  a  few  months,  in  order  that  their 
growth  may  be  extended  over  a  wider  arjea  of  earth. 
These  live  in  cold  climates  only  during  the  warm 
months.  Some  plants  are  limited  to  a  very  narrow 
belt.  Humboldt  gives  the  natural  limit  of  the  or- 
ange from  12°  to  40°  north  latitude.  Of  course 
the  orange  can  survive  in  this  higher  latitude  only 
where  the  climate  is  affected  by  warm  ocean  cur- 
rents. 


64        ORANGE   CULTURE  IN  FLORIDA. 

Cold  and  heat  are  nature's  great  agents  in 
breaking  down  rocks,  disintegrating  earths,  and  so 
converting  into  soluble  manures  for  the  use  of 
plants  what  otherwise  would  be  useless  for  plant  - 
life.  In  higher  latitudes  the  effect  of  cold  is  to 
suspend  circulation  during  the  winter  months,  in 
order  that  the  soil  may  store  up  during  winter  an 
ample  amount  of  plant-food  for  the  great  effort  of 
Nature  to  make  fruit.  It  is  owing  to  this  that  vege- 
tation in  cold  regions  puts  forth  more  rapidly  dur- 
ing the  short  summers,  and  that  fruit  trees  in  such 
regions  are  so  uniform  in  the  production  of  fruit. 
This  hint  should  be  taken  by  the  growers  of  or- 
anges in  the  semi-tropics.  When  their  trees  fail  to 
put  on  a  sufficient  quantity  of  fruit,  let  them  manure 
in  the  fall  or  early  winter — sufficiently  soon  for  the 
manure  to  reach  the  roots  before  the  buds  begin  to 
swell.  Thus  stimulated,  the  bush  that  would  only 
put  forth  the  less  effort  and  produce  a  leaf  or 
branch  may  be  forced  to  the  greater  effort  to  pro- 
duce fruit.  This  fall  manuring  might  prove  inju- 
rious to  a  young  tree,  with  wood  too  immature  for 
the  production  of  fruit,  by  forcing  it  to  put  forth 
shoots  so  early  as  to  be  nipped  by  a  late  frost.  But 
it  would  have  the  opposite  effect  on  a  bearing  tree, 
by  forcing  the  production  of  blossom  and  fruit  in- 
stead of  tender  branches,  as  both  blossom  and  fruit 
of  the  orange  will  stand  much  more  cold  than  the 
newly  started  leaves  and  branches.  I  have  not  infre- 
quently seen  considerable  frost  fall  upon  both  bios- 


EFFECT  OF  FROST    ON  PLANTS.         65 

som  and  young  fruit  without  any  damage.  In  re- 
gions where  there  is  no  frost,  the  orange  tree,  when 
sufficiently  fed,  is  in  the  habit  of  fruiting  continu- 
ously. 

When  water  freezes  it  expands.  It  is  owing  to 
this  law  that  cold  is  so  fatal  to  plants  fully  charged 
with  sap,  mainly  composed  of  water.  The  sap,  by 
expanding,  ruptures  the  cellular  tissue — the  woody 
cells  containing  the  sap.  The  oxygen  of  the  at- 
mosphere penetrates  these  ruptures,  and,  combining 
with  the  sap,  induces  fermentation.  Unless  pre- 
vented, either  by  artificial  or  natural  means,  this  fer- 
mentation will  extend  itself  to  contiguous  parts 
until  the  whole  plant  is  destroyed,  when  only  a 
small  portion  of  the  tender  wood  may,  in  the  first 
instance,  have  been  frosted.  Nature's  method  is 
to  close  behind  the  rupture  all  avenues  against  the 
penetration  of  the  atmosphere  by  a  deposit  of  glu- 
tinous or  gummy  substance  furnished  by  the  inner 
bark.  When  the  old  wood  or  bark  decays  or  drops 
off,  this  inner  becomes  the  outer  bark,  and  so  the 
damage  is  greatly  and  sometimes  wholly  repaired. 
The  artificial  remedy  is  to  cut  off  the  frosted  wood 
and  at  once  apply  an  artificial  skin  impervious  to 
the  atmosphere.  Many  persons  who  have  treated 
frosted  orange  and  lemon  trees  have  failed  at  this 
latter  point.  .  They  have  cut  off  a  part  or  all  the 
frosted  wood,  but  left  a  surface  to  be  cracked  by 
the  sun  or  drying  of  the  wood,  and  so  only  opened 
fresh  avenues  for  the  penetration  of  the  atmosphere. 


66        ORANGE   CULTURE  IN  FLORIDA. 

It  is  better  not  to  cut  at  all  unless  the  wound  is  to 
be  covered  at  once.  Shellac  dissolved  in  alcohol, 
or  a  coating  of  whitewash,  or  a  soft  paste  made  of 
lime  and  fresh  cow-dung,  are  good  applications. 
When  a  plant  is  frosted,  the  direct  rays  of  the  sun 
will  suddenly  thaw  and  so  contract  the  bark  as  to 
enlarge  the  avenues  to  the  atmosphere  and  make 
the  cold  more  fatal  in  effect.  Hence,  shading  a 
frozen  plant,  or  thoroughly  drenching  with  water,  is 
often  a  preventive  of  injury.  I  have  seen  orange 
trees  saved  by  setting  a  pine  bough  or  other  shelter 
on  the  south  and  east,  and  when  the  thaw  occurs 
in  the  afternoon,  on  the  west  side  of  the  tree. 

It  has  before  been  mentioned  that  the  sowing  of 
oats  thickly  upon  the  ground  in  the  fall  will  check 
the  circulation  of  sap  during  winter  by  taking  up 
the  soluble  manures.  Nature  has  two  methods  of 
fortifying  perennials  against  the  effects  of  severe 
frost.  One  method  is  to  deplete  the  tree  of  sap 
during  winter.  Deciduous  trees  are  so  rendered 
hardy.  Their  wood  during  winter  contains  so  lit- 
tle sap  that  the  expansion  by  frost  is  not  sufficient 
to  rupture  the  cells.  Another  method  is  to  so  com- 
mingle oil  with  the  water  of  the  sap  as  to  counteract 
this  law  of  expansion  universal  to  frozen  water. 
While  frozen  water  expands,  frozen  oil  or  hydro- 
carbonates  contract.  The  clockmaker  has  faintly 
imitated  nature  in  this.  By  combining  different 
metals  in  the  rod  which  suspends  the  pendulum  he 
has  made  the  law  of  expansion  furnish  him  with  a 


EFFECT  OF  FROST   ON  PLANTS.         67 

rod  equal  in  length  whatever  the  changes  from  heat 
to  cold.  All  resinous  woods,  such  as  the  pine, 
the  fir,  etc.,  are  of  the  class  so  protected  by  na- 
ture. Hence,  though  found  in  almost  all  habitable 
latitudes,  these  are  under  no  necessity  of  shedding 
their  foliage. 

The  orange  tree  approximates  in  the  character  of 
its  sap  to  this  order  of  plants,  and  is  therefore,  though 
a  tropical  plant,  able  to  stand  the  changes  of  a  semi- 
tropical  climate. 


CHAPTER   XI. 

TRANSPLANTING. 

§EFORE  the  work  of  transplanting  begins,  the 
soil  for  the  grove  should  be  well  prepared. 
It  is  most  generally  the  case  that  the  great  hurry  to 
get  the  trees  into  the  ground  causes  much  neglect 
at  this  point,  but  this  policy  is  a  bad  one.  The 
haste  should  have  reference  to  the  early  fruiting 
and  rapid  growth  of  the  tree  ;  and  they  are  not 
brought  about  by  careless  preparation  of  the  soil. 
The  soil  should  be  deeply  and  thoroughly  broken, 
and  the  ground  cleared  of  the  roots.  To  insure  the 
setting  of  the  trees  a  proper  and  uniform  depth,  the 
ground  should  be  levelled  with  harrow  or  drag. 
No  manure  should  be  used  at  the  time  of  setting, 
nor  before,  unless  applied  some  months  before  set- 
ting and  thoroughly  incorporated  with  the  soil. 

The  best  time  for  setting  trees  is  the  late  winter 
or  early  spring,  before  the  new  wood  has  started. 
The  ground  is  then  cool,  and  the  roots  in  as  dor- 
mant condition  as  at  any  time  during  the  year.  It 
is  better  that  the  ground  should  be  wet  and  the 
setting  followed  by  showers.  But  wet  soil  is  not  so 
essential  at  this  time  of  the  year  as  it  is  when  the 
transplanting  has  been  done  later  and  the  ground 


TRA  NSPLA  N  TING.  69 

and  sun  are  warmer.  If  the  work  of  transplanting 
has  not  been  completed  before  the  warm,  dry 
weather  of  spring  has  set  in  and  before  new  wood 
has  advanced  far,  it  is  best  to  defer  the  work  till  the 
frequent  showers  of  August  and  September  begin 
to  fall.  Good  results  sometimes  follow  summer, 
fall,  and  winter  planting,  but  these  seasons  are  not 
so  good  as  the  months  of  February,  March,  and 
April.  One  exception  to  this  rule  should  be  stated. 
Where  trees  are  to  be  set  under  forest  protection  so 
that  they  will  escape  any  damage  from  frost,  the 
late  fall  is  the  best  time,  as  trees  set  at  that  time  are 
well  established  and  ready  to  start  by  the  spring. 

In  taking  up  the  trees  great  care  should  be  taken 
to  prevent  breaking  or  bruising  the  roots.  As 
many  roots  as  possible  should  be  taken  up.  If  the 
distance  from  the  nursery  to  the  site  of  the  grove 
be  short,  and  the  nursery  rows  have  been  well  ma- 
nured with  muck,  and  the  ground  is  wet  at  the 
time  of  lifting  the  trees  from  the  nursery,  much  of 
the  soil  can  be  taken  along  with  the  roots.  Imme- 
diately on  lifting  the  roots  from  the  ground  they 
should  be  trimmed  with  a  sharp  knife  wherever  they 
are  found  to  have  been  bruised  or  broken.  The 
lower  part  of  the  tap-root  also  should  be  cut  off  to 
prevent  its  doubling  up  on  being  reset.  Twelve  or 
eighteen  inches  is  sufficiently  long  for  the  tap-root. 
Put  the  tree  under  shade,  and  cover  the  roots  with 
wet  moss  as  soon  as  possible.  Do  not  allow  the 
fibrous  roots  to  dry,  as  they  are  very  delicate  and 


70        ORANGE   CULTURE  IN  FLORIDA. 

soon  perish.  Should  they  die  before  setting,  cut 
them  off,  for  if  left  on  after  they  have  died  they  will 
only  impede  the  starting  of  new  rootlets.  Keep 
them  protected  up  to  the  moment  of  setting,  taking 
but  one  tree  at  a  time  from  its  covering  of  moss. 
To  insure  still  further  against  damage  to  the  tender 
roots,  have  on  hand  a  half  barrel  of  muck  made 
into  a  thin  paste,  and  as  fast  as  the  trees  are  lifted 
and  the  roots  trimmed,  plunge  the  roots  into  this 
paste,  take  them  out,  and  wrap  in  moss. 

The  holes  for  the  trees  should  be  freshly  dug. 
The  work  of  setting  is  easily  "and  rapidly  done  by 
three  hands  working  together — one  to  dig  the  holes, 
one  to  prune  and  set  the  tree,  and  a  third  to  fill  in. 
The  holes  should  be  dug  in  the  shape  of  an  invert- 
ed saucer  or  truncated  cone  with  about  two  inches 
of  the  top  cut  off.  Proceed  thus  :  Around  the 
stake  which  marks  the  place  for  the  tap-root,  with 
a  shovel  or  hoe  take  away  the  soil,  letting  the  tool 
strike  the  top  of  the  soil  at  the  stake,  and  continue 
to  dig  deeper  into  the  soil  until  at  a  distance  of 
eighteen  inches  from  the  stake  it  has  penetrated  six 
inches  below  the  surface.  Proceed  thus  around  the 
stake  until  it  is  completed.  This  gives  the  greatest 
depth  of  the  hole  on  the  outer  edge  or  perimeter 
of  the  circle.  Now  take  up  the  stake,  and  cut  two 
inches  of  the  top  off  the  cone.  Where  the  stake 
stood,  push  down  the  spade  by  working  it  back  and 
forth  until  it  has  penetrated  the  ground  about 
eighteen  inches,  or  the  full  length  of  the  tap-root 


TRANSPLANTING.  71 

of  the  tree  to  be  set.  Now  insert  the  tap- root  in 
this  hole  made  by  the  spade.  Be  careful  not  to 
set  the  tree  deeper  than  it  grew  in  the  nursery. 
With  the  hand  pack  the  soil  firmly  around  the  tap- 
root. Next  spread  the  lateral  roots  over  the  cone, 
taking  care  to  distribute  them  evenly  over  the  cone. 
Throw  on  two  inches  of  dirt  and  press  it  firmly 
with  the  feet.  Finish  by  throwing  in  soil  and  lev- 
elling the  ground,  leaving  the  last  layer  of  soil  un- 
trod. 

Before  the  tree  is  left  it  should  be  trimmed  with 
shears  in  proportion  to  the  trimming  done  to  the 
roots. 

If  planting  is  done  in  summer  or  in  hot  weather, 
and  the  ground  is  not  protected  by  forest  trees,  it  is 
better  to  mulch. 

If  trees  are  older  than  three  years,  and  wild 
grown,  it  may  be  necessary  to  dig  the  holes  deeper 
than  directed  above,  but  the  point  of  this  caution  is 
against  deep  setting.  The  writer  is  satisfied  that 
more  trees  have  been  diseased  and  retarded  in  their 
growth,  and  frequently  killed,  by  deep  setting  than 
by  any  other  one  cause. 


CHAPTER   XII. 

THE    DISTANCE    APART. 

the  grove  the  distance  apart  at  which  trees 
should  be  placed  depends  upon  the  character 
of  the  trees  to  be  set.  The  seedling  should  have 
the  greatest  distance,  the  sweet  seedling  budded 
less,  and  the  sour  stock  budded  least  of  all. 

In  Europe,  where  budding  on  sour  stock  is  gen- 
erally practised,  and  land  is  much  costlier  than  in 
this  country,  trees  are  set  much  closer  than  is  the 
custom  in  Florida.  In  the  former  country,  where 
set  in  the  open  ground,  they  are  frequently  put  as 
close  as  ten  or  twelve  feet  apart,  and  where  artificial 
covering  during  the  winter  is  resorted  to,  still  nearer. 
But  in  Europe  orange  trees  never  grow  to  the  size 
they  attain  in  Florida.  In  some  of  the  old  groves 
in  this  State  where  the  trees  stand  forty  feet  apart 
the  ground  is  completely  covered  by  the  branches  of 
trees  that  have  grown  up  since  1835.  Thirty  or 
forty  years,  however,  is  too  long  a  time  to  leave 
the  land  uncovered.  Trees  planted  nearer  together 
will  soon  protect  each  other. 

The  rule  I  have  observed  for  some  time  is  to  set 
budded  trees  on  sour  stock  21  x  21  feet  ;  budded 


THE   DISTANCE  APART.  73 

trees  on  sweet  stock,  25x25,  and  sweet  seedlings, 
30  x  30  feet. 

When  the  planter  wishes  to  set  the  budded  and 
seedling  in  the  same  grove,  a  good  plan  is  to  set  the 
sweet  seedling  30  x  30,  and  then  in  the  centre  of 
the  square  formed  by  four  trees  set  a  budded  tree. 
The  budded  trees  will  come  into  bearing  some  years 
before  the  seedling  trees,  and  by  so  much  lessen 
the  dead  expense  of  the  grove.  Another  advantage 
of  the  last-named  plan  is,  that  space  will  be  econo- 
mized and  the  trees  still  be  at  a  uniform  distance 
from  each  other. 


CHAPTER   XIII. 

CULTIVATION. 

fHE   orange  will   live  with  almost   no   cultiva- 
tion, but  it  will  only  be  a  sickly  existence.      I 
know  no  plant,  shrub,  or  tree  that  will  pay  better 
for  good  cultivation  ;    none  that  will  respond   so 
certainly  to  thorough  cultivation. 

The  ground  in  the  grove  should  be  kept  level,  the 
surface  light.  As  far  as  the  roots  have  extended  the 
surface  should  not  be  stirred  deeper  than  three 
inches.  The  more  frequently  it  is  stirred  the  bet- 
ter. Beyond  the  reach  of  the  roots  it  is  well  to  cul- 
tivate deep  and  frequently,  but  as  the  roots  extend 
themselves  this  area  of  deep  cultivation  should  be 
lessened.  After  the  roots  have  extended  themselves 
well  over  the  ground,  the  best  plow  to  be  used  is 
the  sweep.  A  single  thirty-two-inch  sweep,  or  a 
gang  plow,  the  middle  or  front  plow  twenty-two 
inches  wide,  and  the  two  side  plows  fourteen  inches 
each,  does  excellent  work.  It  is  better  than  the 
turning  plow  or  cultivator.  The  sweep  is  much 
more  uniform  in  the  depth  of  its  cutting  than  either. 
It  is  much  more  rapid  in  its  work  than  the  single 
plow.  It  is  more  apt  to  cut  off  the  weeds  below 
the  surface  and  destroy  them  than  the  cultivator. 


CULTIVATION.  75 

With  such  an  implement,  a  grove  free  from  stumps 
and  litter  is  easily  and  cheaply  kept  in  fine  condi- 
tion. 

While  the  orange  trees  are  young  it  is  of  advan- 
tage to  keep  the  ground  planted  in  garden  crops — 
peas,  beans,  potatoes,  tomatoes,  anything  that  re- 
quires frequent  work  and  will  mature  within  a  few 
weeks,  partially  shading  the  ground.  Of  course 
nothing  should  be  taken  from  the  ground  without 
making  adequate  return  in  the  form  of  manures. 
Suitable  fertilizers  will  be  noticed  in  a  separate 
chapter. 

Where  the  trees  are  planted  far  apart,  and  ten  or 
twelve  years  will  elapse  before  the  ground  will  be  all 
occupied  by  the  orange,  grapes  and  peaches  will 
do  well  and  prove  profitable,  provided  the  soil  is 
well  drained. 

At  no  time  should  the  roots  of  grass  and  weeds 
be  allowed  to  mat  themselves  on  land  growing  the 
orange.  Not  only  will  they  draw  heavily  upon  the 
soil  while  they  are  growing,  but  when  turned  over 
the  turf  and  matted  roots  will  necessarily  leave  the 
surface  very  irregular,  causing  the  ground  to  dry 
rapidly  under  the  influence  of  sun  and  wind.  Some 
have  advised  cultivation  to  cease  during  August  and 
September,  alleging  it  to  be  better  to  allow  the 
weeds  and  grass  to  grow  after  these  months  in  order 
to  check  the  fall  growth,  and  thus  allow  the  wood 
of  the  orange  to  so  harden  as  to  resist  the  influence 
of  frost  during  the  winter.  But  the  writer  has  ex- 


76        ORANGE   CULTURE  IN  FLORIDA. 

perimented  extensively  and  expensively — considering 
results — with  the  above  policy,  and  where  others 
were  pursuing  the  same  policy  he  has  advised  them 
to  try  clean  culture  or  garden  crops  on  a  part  of 
the  grove,  and  in  every  instance  where  the  land 
has  been  kept  thoroughly  cultivated  the  trees  have 
doubled,  in  size  and  thrift,  those  allowed  to  be  left 
to  the  mercy  of  the  weeds  and  grass. 

Another  result  should  be  considered  in  this  con- 
nection. Where  grass  and  weeds  are  allowed  to 
grow  in  the  grove  they  are  generally  killed  by  the 
frost  during  the  fall  or  winter.  In  this  condition 
they  absorb  and  part  with  moisture  very  readily,  ab- 
sorbing moisture  when  the  atmosphere  is  warmer 
than  the  ground,  and  yielding  it  up  when  the  at- 
mosphere is  cooler  than  the  ground  or  the  wind  is 
blowing.  But  to  part  with  moisture  is  to  part  with 
heat  and  increase  the  cold.  In  some  sections  of 
Europe,  before  the  invention  of  ice  machines,  con- 
siderable ice  was  collected  and  stored  away  where 
the  general  temperature  was  only  40°.  The  freez- 
ing was  induced  by  simply  covering  over  lightly 
and  surrounding  the  ice  ponds  with  wet  straw.  The 
wind  passing  through  the  wet  straw  took  up  from 
the  exposed  and  larger  surface  of  the  straw  its 
moisture  together  with  its  heat  and  left  the  water  to 
freeze.  To  leave  any  dry  straw,  weeds,  or  litter  on 
the  ground  during  the  winter  only  intensifies  the 
cold  and  invites  the  frost.  The  writer  knows  of  sev- 
eral beautiful  groves  that  were  entirely  frozen  down 


CULTIVATION.  77 

from  this  cause,  while  others  in  the  immediate  vi- 
cinity were  unhurt.  Mulching  during  the  winter 
has  a  similar  effect.  In  this  immediate  neighbor- 
hood an  old  and  beautiful  orange  tree  was  heavily 
mulched  during  winter.  It  was  the  only  tree  hurt 
by  the  frost  in  the  grove  that  was  hurt  very  badly, 
taking  two  or  three  years  to  recover.  While  the 
trees  are  young,  keep  the  grove  clear  of  grass  and 
weeds,  summer  and  winter.  If  you  mulch  during 
the  summer,  bury  the  mulching  as  the  winter  ap- 
proaches ;  dig  holes  and  bury  the  litter.  This  in- 
struction is  for  young  and  tender  trees.  When  the 
surface  of  the  ground  is  well  shaded  by  older  trees, 
general  mulching  is  recommended,  as  will  be  seen 
in  another  chapter. 

In  cultivating  the  grove  with  the  plow  there  is  a 
constant  tendency  of  the  soil  to  pile  up  around  the 
trunk  of  the  tree.  This  should  be  watched,  and  i£ 
the  crown  of  the  lateral  surface  roots  is  a  half  inch 
below  the  surface,  from  this  or  from  deep  planting., 
the  soil  should  be  drawn  from  around  the  trunk  till 
the  upper  sides  of  these  roots  are  brought  toithe  top 
of  the  ground.  If  the  upper  parts  of  these  roots 
are  left  bare  for  one  or  two  inches,  wherer  trees  are 
five  or  six  years  old,  and  for  a  greater  distance 
where  the  trees  are  older,  these  roots  develop  very 
rapidly,  and  not  only  furnish  stout  braces  to  the 
trunk;  but  great  arteries  for  conveying  life  and 
food  from  the  soil.  This  point  is  so  little  under- 
stood and  attended  to  by  many  cultivators  that  it 


78         ORANGE   CULTURE  IN  FLORIDA. 

may  be  well  to  explain  further.  This  development  of 
the  crown  roots  is  nature's  plan  when  it  is  not  in- 
terfered with.  Whoever  will  visit  and  examine  a 
natural  forest,  whether  of  orange  or  other  trees,  will 
find  the  top  of  the  crown  roots  from  one  to  several 
inches  above  the  ground  and  running  in  many  in- 
stances, as  great  braces,  well  up  the  trunk  of  the 
tree.  This  development  of  the  crown  is  slow  at 
first,  but  increases  in  proportion  as  the  upper  sur- 
face of  the  roots  lift  themselves  above  the  surface  of 
the  ground.  This  development  can  be  hastened  by 
taking  away  the  earth  from  above  the  roots  for  a 
short  distance  from  the  tree,  as  mentioned  above. 
The  principle  is  the  same  as  that  adopted  for  the 
development  of  the  bulb  of  the  onion  by  taking  the 
earth  from  around  it.  The  root  of  the  plant,  being 
more  porous  than  the  stem,  parts  more  readily  with 
its  moisture  at  the  point  where  it  is  exposed,  and 
hence  the  thickened  sap  lodges  more  readily,  at  that 
point,  and  so  hardens  into  wood  and  increases  the 
growth.  As  the  upward  circulation  passes  only 
through  the  new  or  sap  wood,  this  enlarged  base 
furnishes,  at  the  very  seat  of  life  and  strength,  new 
and  increased  capacity  to  the  tree. 


CHAPTER   XIV. 

THOROUGH    CULTIVATION. 

HEN  the  preceding  chapter  was  published, 
four  years  ago,  the  writer  hoped  he  had  put 
the  importance  of  good  cultivation  so  forcibly  as  to 
induce  any  reader  of  the  first  edition  of  this  treatise 
to  fairly  cultivate  any  orange  trees  that  he  might 
plant  with  the  wish  to  make  them  productive  and 
profitable.  But  four  years  of  additional  observa- 
tion and  experience  convince  the  writer  that  a  large 
percentage  of  those  who  are  engaged  in  orange  - 
planting  in  Florida  are  wasting  time  and  means  by 
careless  cultivation.  Now  let  me  drop  this  indirect 
manner  of  speaking  of  the  writer  as  the  third  per- 
son. I  want  to  look  you  in  the  eye,  reader,  and 
say  to  you  if  you  do  not  intend  to  cultivate  your 
trees  thoroughly,  or  have  them  cultivated  thorough- 
ly, do  not  waste  money  by  buying  land  and  having 
it  planted  in  trees.  In  no  business  is  the  old  aph- 
orism truer  than  in  orange-growing,  "What  is 
worth  doing  at  all  is  worth  doing  well. ' '  I  would 
add,  what  is  poorly  done  in  this  business  is  apt  to 
bring  poor  return  or  no  return  to  the  owner  of  a 
grove.  I  will  give  one  or  two  instances  of  many, 
very  many,  that  have  come  under  my  observation. 


8o        ORANGE    CULTURE  IN  FLORIDA. 

A  little  more  than  twelve  months  ago  a  gentle- 
man from  Middle  Florida  purchased  a  portion  of  a 
grove  that  had  been  planted  two  or  three  years  in 
Orange  County.  At  the  time  of  the  purchase  I 
could  see  no  advantage  in  size  or  thrift  of  trees  or 
excellence  of  soil  in  favor  of  that  portion  of  the 
grove  retained  over  that  portion  sold.  Since  the 
division  of  the  grove  the  purchaser  has  had  his  part 
of  the  grove  plowed  once  or  twice.  The  other  part 
of  the  grove  has  been  well  cultivated  and  fertilized. 
To-day  the  cultivated  trees  look  as  though  they 
were  several  years  older  than  the  uncultivated — this 
difference  thus  brought  about  in  one  year.  One 
other  instance  :  Some  years  ago  a  neighbor  bought 
several  hundred  trees  from  a  nurseryman,  who  ad- 
vised him  to  suspend  cultivation  in  August,  in  order 
that  the  growth  of  grass  and  weeds  might  check  the 
growth  of  fall  wood  as  a  prevention  of  frost. 
Another  party  advised  the  planter  to  cultivate  one 
half  his  trees  throughout  the  summer  and  note  the 
different  results.  He  did  so,  cultivating  small  crops 
among  the  trees.  The  advantage  gained  in  half  a 
year  is  so  marked  that  four  years,  so  far  from  oblit- 
erating the  evidence,  has  made  it  only  the  more  ap- 
parent. 

One  word  about  this  often-expressed  opinion  and 
advice,  "  to  stop  cultivation  in  August,  in  order  to 
check  the  fall  growth  and  give  the  wood  time  to 
harden  before  frost."  The  orange  tree,  if  well  cul- 
tivated, will  make  from  three  to  four  growths  dur- 


THOROUGH  CULTIVATION.  81 

ing  summer.  If  not  manured  later  than  June, 
thorough  cultivation  will  only  hasten  forward  the 
seasons  of  growth  and  ripening  of  the  wood  before 
fall.  Besides,  vigorous  health  with  well-ripened 
wood  is  one  of  the  best  protections  against  damage 
by  frost.  If  the  object  be  to  prevent  any  winter 
growth  and  suspend  active  circulation  of  sap  during 
winter,  this  can  be  better  secured  by  seeding  the 
land  heavily  in  oats.  The  growing  oats  will  take 
up  all  soluble  manures  in  the  soil  and  leave  the 
young  orange  trees  to  rest  till  spring. 

Various  discussions  have  been  entered  into 
throughout  the  State  as  to  the  relative  value  of  deep 
and  shallow  culture.  The  disputants  on  the  differ- 
ent sides  have  usually  reached  their  conclusions 
not  by  generalizing,  but  by  "induction"  from  a 
single  experience  or  observation.  One  gentleman 
who  had  met  with  marked  success  in  orange -growing 
wrote  as  the  secret  of  success,  "  Deep  plowing," 
"  Tear  up  the  roots."  Convinced  that  there  must 
be  something  unusual  about  the  soil  that  would 
produce  fine  trees  and  fruit  under  such  a  method, 
I  visited  his  grove,  found  it  planted  upon  an  oak 
scrub  with  no  fertility  in  the  upper  soil,  but  under- 
laid a  few  feet  from  the  surface  with  clay,  on  which 
rested  a  stratum  of  marl.  The  mystery  was  solved. 
There  being  no  nourishment  in  the  upper  soil,  the 
roots  had  gone  down  to  where  they  might  find 
food,  and  so  were  little  disturbed  by  the  deep  plow- 
ing. Indeed,  the  deep  plowing  only  let  in  the 


82        ORANGE   CULTURE  IN  FLORIDA. 

sunlight  and  air  for  the  further  penetration  of  roots. 
But  this  case  is  exceptional.  Nature's  method  is 
to  deposit  the  most  valuable  manures  near  the  sur- 
face of  the  ground.  Trees,  weeds,  and  grasses  are, 
by  means  of  roots,  reaching  down  to  bring  up  some 
of  these  manures  from  beneath,  while  the  leaves 
are  reaching  out  to  gather  other  manures  from  the 
atmosphere,  and  so  from  these  two  directions  nature 
is  gathering  and  combining  in  organized  and  useful 
forms  substance  for  plant-food  to  be  deposited 
upon  the  surface  of  the  soil,  to  be  carried  down  by 
means  of  rain  to  the  roots  of  the  growing  crops. 
Hence  with  nearly  all  plants,  and  especially  those 
having  yellow  roots,  the  orange  included,  the  most 
abundant  feeders  lie  near  the  surface.  Hence  the 
most  natural  means  of  cultivating  a  grove  is  to 
mulch  the  entire  surface  with  sufficient  material  to 
prevent  any  growth  of  weeds  or  grass.  This  meth- 
od gives  a  treble  advantage — it  secures  sufficient 
moisture  for  the  roots  of  the  orange,  it  avoids  the 
necessity  of  cultivation  with  either  hoe  or  plow, 
and  gives  sufficient  fertility  to  the  soil.  Thi§ 
method  is  especially  adapted  to  natural  groves  that 
have  been  budded  and  to  groves  planted  on  low 
lands.  In  the  first  instance,  nature  has  already  placed 
the  roots  near  the  surface,  and  it  is  poor  policy  to 
disturb  the  roots  by  plow  or  hoe,  and  so  attempt  to 
force  nature  from  its  long-established  habit.  In  the 
second  instance  the  roots  will  not  penetrate  a  wet 
soil,  but  grow  near  the  surface.  The  flourishing 


THOROUGH  CULTIVATION'.  83 

condition  of  the  groves  at  Federal  Point,  on  the  St. 
John's,  and  other  groves  where  the"  surface  water 
can  be  carried  off  by  shallow  ditches,  sufficiently 
demonstrates  that  the  orange  can  be  successfully 
grown  on  low  lands  by  mulching,  or  by  shallow 
cultivation  with  the  hoe,  or,  as  in  some  instances 
where  the  soil  is  rich,  by  mowing  the  grass  and 
weeds  twice  a  year  and  leaving  them  to  rot  on  the 
ground. 

Where  material  is  abundant  and  near  at  hand, 
mulching  is  the  cheapest  method  of  cultivation,  as  it 
is  equivalent  to  both  manure  and  frequent  disturb- 
ing the  surface  with  hoe  and  plow.  In  many  parts 
of  Florida  abundant  material  is  at  hand.  Leaves 
from  our  forests  can  easily  be  collected  and  carted 
to  the  ground.  In  many  places  a  horse-rake  can 
be  used  for  gathering  them  in  piles.  The  wire- 
grass  can  be  cut  by  hoe,  or  better,  where  the  forest 
is  open,  by  means  of  a  mower  and  horse-rake.  Our 
marsh  lands  along  our  extended  coast  and  the  banks 
of  our  numerous  rivers  and  lakes  in  Florida  are  at 
no  distant  day  to  be  utilized  and  made  valuable  by 
furnishing  thousands  of  tons  annually  for  the  pur- 
pose of  mulching.  The  first  year  of  my  residence 
in  Florida,  living  on  a  lake  with  a  margin  covered 
with  grass  growing  above  the  water,  I  constructed  a 
flat-bottom  boat  with  a  mower  attached  in  front 
and  driven  by  man-power,  which  enabled  three  men 
working  a  half  day  in  a  week  to  furnish  nine  head 
of  horses  with  abundant  and  nutritious  forage. 


84        ORANGE   CULTURE  IN  FLORIDA. 

Such  a  machine  impelled  by  steam  could  be  made 
to  do  the  work  of  a  hundred  men,  and  furnish 
mulching  to  growers  on  the  banks  of  our  rivers  at 
a  cost  not  exceeding  one  or  two  dollars  per  ton, 


CHAPTER    XV. 

PRUNING. 

RUNING  is  universally  adopted  by  nature.  In 
the  forest  all  the  branches  of  the  little  oaks  and 
pines  are  near  the  ground.  But  as  the  trees  grow 
these  lower  branches  die  and  drop  off.  A  few  years 
later  we  behold  thousands  of  graceful,  well-trimmed 
trunks.  Where  the  oak  grows  up  in  the  open  field 
its  method  is  to  prune  the  inner  branches  and  ex- 
tend the  surface,  giving  what  fruit-growers  call  an 
open  head.  The  grape-vine  prunes  itself.  Where 
its  branches  are  thickest  the  tendrils  first  strangle 
and  then  cut  off  some  of  the  excessive  branches. 
It  is  the  Divine  plan.  "  I  am  the  true  vine,  and 
my  Father  is  the  husbandman.  Every  branch  in 
me  that  beareth  not  fruit,  he  cutteth  away  ;  and 
every  branch  that  beareth  fruit,  he  pruneth  it  that  it 
may  bear  more  fruit.''  Wise  is  the  man  who  will 
follow  such  teaching.  Happy  is  the  man  who  has 
a  taste  for  such  work  and  can  take  up  the  voca- 
tion first  taught  man  when  "  the  Lord  God  put  him 
into  the  garden  of  Eden  to  dress  it  and  to  keep 
it ;"  especially  where  he  can  dress  a  garden  of  this 
golden  fruit — a  relic  of  Eden — that  is  "  pleasant 
to  the  sight  and  good  for  food." 


86         ORANGE    CULTURE   IN  FLORIDA. 

It  may  be  said,  ' '  If  nature  prunes  at  all,  let  her 
do  it  all."  Yes,  and  it  may  be  said,  "  If  nature 
plants  and  grows  the  corn  at  all,  why  should  I  take 
the  trouble  to  plant  and  cultivate?"  But  such  a 
man  will  reap  little  more  than  the  harvest  of  his 
folly  and  indolence.  Nature  makes  suggestions, 
but  does  not  propose  to  do  all  the  work  where 
man's  interest  is  especially  concerned.  Even  be- 
fore thorns  and  briers  had  sprung  up,  it  was  man's 
duty  and  to  his  interest  to  "  dress  the  garden"  so 
perfectly  planted.  Again,  where  nature  prunes, 
knots  and  dead  wood  often  become  the  starting 
points  for  extensive  decay.  But  where  a  living 
branch  is  cut  off  with  a  sharp  knife  from  a  vigor- 
ous tree,  the  wound  soon  heals  over,  leaving  no  scar 
nor  injury. 

The  writer  has  practised  on  a  grove  of  about  4000 
trees  all  the  methods  of  pruning,  and  not  pruning, 
to  satisfy  himself  as  to  the  best  method.  Nor  has 
he  spared  himself  the  trouble  of  visiting  many  of 
the  best  groves  in  the  State,  watching  the  opera- 
tions of  others,  and  questioning  them  closely  as  to 
their  practice  and  the  results.  Pie  will  not  trouble 
the  reader  with  the  many  theories  advanced,  much 
less  with  discussing  them.  A  few  essential  points 
are  all  that  are  necessary  to  be  attended  to. 

In  pruning,  the  sharper  the  knife  or  saw,  the  bet- 
ter. Let  the  cut  be  clean  and  smooth.  When  the 
knife  is  used  it  is  better  to  cut  up  than  down,  as 
the  downward  cut  is  apt  to  split  the  wood  and  peel 


PRUNING.  87 

off  the  bark.  Do  the  principal  pruning  in  the 
spring.  By  all  means  avoid  fall  or  winter  pruning, 
as  it  is  apt  to  start  new  wood  at  a  time  when  it  is 
most  exposed  to  damage  from  frost.  Cut  off  all 
dead  wood,  and  up  to  or  a  little  into  the  living 
wood.  Thereby  the  wound  heals  more  readily.  As 
a  general  rule  cut  off  all  diseased  branches,  es- 
pecially if  they  have  become  so  far  diseased  as  to  fail 
to  develop  healthy  leaves.  Do  not  trim  up  the 
trunk  too  high.  Encourage  the  lower  branches  to 
extend  themselves  well  around  the  trunk  and  far 
over  the  surface  of  the  ground.  If  they  do  not 
touch  the  ground  they  are  not  too  low.  As  the 
tree  grows  these  branches  will  continue  to  droop 
nearer  the  ground  until  the  lowest  may  have  to  be 
cut  off  after  a  while  ;  but  this  late  cutting  off  is 
much  better  than  to  have  the  trunk  exposed  either 
to  sun  or  cold. 

Give  and  keep  an  open  head  to  the  tree.  To  do 
this,  select  the  most  vigorous  lateral  branches,  leav- 
ing some  on  all  sides  of  the  tree,  so  as  to  obtain  a 
head  as  uniformly  balanced  as  possible.  After  cut- 
ting off  the  other  branches  close  to  the. trunk,  trim 
up  these  selected  branches  almost  to  a  point,  leaving 
only  a  few  of  the  terminal  smaller  branches.  When 
this  is  done  the  tree  will  look  like  a  skeleton,  and 
you  will  likely  conclude  you  have  used  the  knife 
too  freely.  But  if  this  pruning  has  been  done  in 
the  spring,  and  you  keep  the  "  water"  shoots  pulled 
off  the  trunk,  and  cultivate  well,  you  will  find  the 


88         ORANGE    CULTURE   IN  FLORIDA. 

trunk  by  winter  inclosed  in  a  beautiful  head,  with  a 
dense  wall  of  foliage  on  the  outside.  The  next 
spring1  trim  these  laterals  in  a  similar  manner,  al- 
lowing the  first  laterals  to  rebranch  a  little  distance 
from  the  trunk  so  as  to  be  able  to  fill  up  the  larger 
area  by  fall.  Continue  this  method  till  your  tree  is 
large  enough  to  bear  its  first  crop.  You  can  then 
slacken  your  pruning  so  as  to  encourage  the  fruit- 
ing. 

There  are  several  advantages  arising  from  judi- 
cious pruning.  Whenever  a  branch  dies,  it  not  only 
ceases  to  benefit  the  tree,  but  becomes  a  drain  on 
its  sap  and  vitality,  as  an  ulcer  to  the  human  body. 
The  same  is  true,  to  some  extent,  with  a  diseased 
branch.  Moreover,  as  a  branch  begins  to  die,  its 
fermenting  sap  is  slowly  taken  up  into  the  general 
circulation,  and  so  the  disease  extends  itself  some- 
times to  the  entire  tree,  unless  it  be  cut  off  below 
the  sound  wood.  This  is  especially  the  case  when 
the  frost  has  partially  killed  the  young  wood.  The 
writer  has  known  quite  vigorous  trees  to  be  killed, 
not  only  to  the  ground,  but  entirely,  by  neglect  at 
this  point.  The  open  head  not  only  gives  room  for 
the  free  circulation  of  air  through  the  branches,  but 
also  enables  the  gardener  to  watch  the  trunk  and 
larger  branches  and  remove  from  them  insects  that 
might  prove  damaging.  Another  advantage,  arising 
from  the  open  head  is,  it  causes  the  lower  branches 
to  extend  themselves  far  out  from  the  trunk,  and  so 
gives  a  greater  bearing  capacity  to  the  tree.  Trees 


PRUNING. 


89 


in  the  grove  of  the  writer  pruned  after  this  plan  have 
doubled  in  development  within  two  years,  in  their 
surface  area,  others  standing  by  their  side  with  the 
same  treatment,  except  that  the  latter  were  not 
pruned. 


CHAPTER   XVI. 

FERTILIZING. 

fHIS  has  never  been  sufficiently  appreciated  in  the 
South.  Her  broad  acres  have  always  tempted 
to  planting  too  much  land  and  using  too  little  ma- 
nure. Somehow,  when  Northern  men  come  South 
they,  too,  yield  to  the  temptation  and  fall  into  the 
Southern  fashion.  And  yet  no  soil  responds  more 
readily  to  the  influence  of  manure  than  our  warm 
Southern  soil.  The  manure  put  by  Peter  Hender- 
son on  a  single  acre  would  be  deemed  by  any 
Southern  farmer  ample  for  the  broad  fields  of  cot- 
ton stretching  around  his  decaying  mansion.  A 
few  men  are  wiser  ;  they  have  ceased  to  fell  the 
forest  for  more  land,  and  are  contracting  the  planted 
area  of  the  old  land.  They  are  endeavoring  to  in- 
crease their  crops  by  manuring.  Such  men  have 
succeeded,  and  are  still  succeeding.  Some  I  know 
have  grown  rich  by  such  a  policy. 

No  crop  feeds  more  ravenously  than  the  orange, 
and  none  will  convert  so  large  an  amount  of  suitable 
fertilizers  into  fruit  so  profitably.  Much  of  our 
Florida  land  will  produce  and  sustain  fine  trees  for 
a  few  years  without  the  aid  of  manure  ;  but  after 
some  years  of  fruiting  the  leaves  will  begin  to  turn 


FERTILIZING. 


yellow,  indicating  a  deficiency  in  the  soil,  borne 
of  our  lands  considered  poorest  —  black-jack  ridges 
—  in  the  vicinity  of  dwellings  grow  fine  trees,  and 
continue  to  sustain  fine  crops  of  excellent  oranges. 
But  these  trees  so  located  are  almost  daily  replen- 
ished with  accidental  deposits  of  nitrogenous  ma- 
nures (the  principal  fertilizers  needed  on  black-jack 
lands),  as  well  as  considerable  wood-ashes  and  soot 
from  the  daily  fires  of  the  kitchen,  and  suds  from 
the  washtub.  The  flourishing  condition  of  these 
trees  only  shows  the  advantage  of  manures. 

It  is  not  safe  to  manure  trees  at  the  time  of  plant- 
ing. In  some  instances  this  has  succeeded  very 
well,  but  only  when  the  manure  has  been  long 
composted  and  frequently  turned,  so  that  no  fer- 
mentation will  occur  around  the  wounded  roots. 
When  manuring  will  be  done  thus  early  it  is  better 
to  scatter  it  on  the  ground  and  turn  it  several  times 
in  the  soil  some  weeks  before  the  tree  is  planted. 

After  the  tree  has  been  planted  and  once  started 
to  grow,  it  is  then  well  to  manure  it  heavily  till  it 
begins  to  bear.  Begin  with  a  moderate  quantity, 
applying  near  the  outer  extremity  of  the  lateral 
roots,  and  increase  the  quantity  every  year  and  en- 
large the  area  to  which  it  is  applied.  When  garden 
crops  are  planted,  scatter  the  manure  broadcast. 
Aim  to  make  the  ground  rich  —  rich  as  a  city  garden. 
It  will  pay  for  the  manure  and  cultivation  if  the 
ground  be  planted  and  well  cultivated  in  crops,  and 
especially  if  planted  in  vegetables  where  a  market 


Q2        ORANGE    CULl^URE  IN  FLORIDA. 

can  be  readily  reached.  There  are  several  advan- 
tages derived  from  generous  manuring  when  the 
trees  are  young  :  not  only  is  the  development  of 
the  tree  hastened,  but  the  tree  is  less  liable  to  be 
attacked  by  some  of  the  insects,  and  when  attacked 
is  better  enabled  to  resist  their  ravages  ;  and  when 
in  vigorous  health,  but  not  making  new  wood 
during  winter,  it  is  less  liable  to  be  damaged  by  the 
influence  of  frost.  To  prevent  this  last-named  evil 
the  young  tree  should  never  be  stimulated  in  the 
fall  or  latter  part  of  the  summer.  It  is  much  bet- 
ter to  manure  in  the  spring.  Another  advantage  to 
be  noted  is,  when  trees  are  pushed  before  coming 
into  bearing,  the  heavy  manuring  does  no  damage 
to  the  fruit. 

The  kind  of  fertilizer  to  be  used  depends  largely 
upon  the  character  of  the  soil.  If  the  land  planted 
was  originally  heavily  set  in  hard  wood,  and  the 
ashes  of  the  wood,  cut  in  clearing,  have  been  scat- 
tered on  the  ground,  it  is  more  than  likely  that  the 
soil  for  a  few  years  will  have  a  sufficiency  of  lime, 
soda,  and  potash.  In  that  case  nitrogenous  ma- 
nures will  be  needed.  But  if  all  the  hard  wood  has 
been  taken  off.  the  land  and  no  ashes  left,  such  a 
soil  will  likely  have  become  poor  in  calcareous 
manures  (as  the  readiness  with  which  the  pine 
springs  up  in  our  worn  hammock  lands  shows),  and 
should  be  treated  as  the  pine  lands,  and  manures 
applied  containing  all  the  elements  of  vegetable 
life  used  by  the  roots. 


FERTILIZING.  93 

Seme  of  the  commercial  manures  are  valuable, 
when  used  in  combination  with  other  things,  but 
none  of  them  contain  in  the  right  proportions  all  the 
elements  needed  for  the  orange.  The  writer  has 
used  and  seen  used  a  large  variety  of  these  fertil- 
izers, and  some  benefit  has  been  derived  from  most 
of  them.  From  others  no  advantage  has  been  dis- 
coverable. A  good  article  of  ground  bone,  where 
the  oils  and  phosphoric  acid  have  not  been  too 
generally  expelled  by  burning  ;  Peruvian  guano, 
and  potash,  both  the  nitrate  and  sulphate,  are  very 
good  when  combined  with  muck.  These  are  es- 
pecially valuable  when  early  vegetables  are  to  be 
grown  among  the  orange  trees,  as  they  highly  stim- 
ulate the  soil  and  hasten  forward  both  the  vegetables 
and  orange  trees. 

Land  plaster  should  be  especially  mentioned  as 
beneficial  to  our  sandy  soil,  as  it  not  only  furnishes 
an  important  element  to  the  soil,  but  in  the  ab- 
sence of  clay  in  most  of  our  soil  furnishes  a  valuable 
absorber  and  retainer  of  the  volatile  manures  so 
easily  expelled  by  our  abundance  of  sunshine.  The 
writer  thinks  he  has  seen  another  advantage  in  the 
use  of  land  plaster  in  the  check  which  the  sulphur, 
contained  in  the  plaster,  has  upon  some  of  the  in- 
sects which  damage  the  trees. 

Green  crops  turned  under  are  highly  beneficial 
to  young  trees.  Rye,  oats,  and  barley,  sown  in.  the 
fall  and  turned  under  in  the  spring  and  followed  by 
one  or  two  crops  of  cow  peas  during  the  summer^ 


94        ORANGE   CULTURE  IN  FLORIDA. 

help  forward  a  grove  of  trees  wonderfully.  It  is 
still  better  if  this  be  accompanied  by  a  liberal  dress- 
ing of  wood-ashes.  One  ton  to  the  acre  is  not  too 
much. 

Manures  from  the  stables,  cow-pens,  hennery,  and 
pig-sty,  indeed  from  every  place  where  waste  is  de- 
posited, should  first  be  deodorized  by  the  liberal 
use  of  land  plaster  or  sulphate  of  iron — copperas — 
dissolved  in  water  and  composted  with  muck,  and 
be  carefully  saved  and  utilized.  As  they  are  highly 
stimulating,  they  should  be  composted  with  three  or 
four  times  the  quantity  of  muck,  and  frequently 
turned  before  using. 

But  of  all  the  manures,  that  which  is  cheapest 
and  most  abundant  is  the  muck  to  be  found  in  our 
rivers,  creeks,  lakes,  and  ponds.  A  good  article 
of  muck  is  little  less  than  decomposed  vegetable 
matter.  Leaves,  wood,  weeds,  and  grass,  as  they 
have  fallen,  have  been  washed  into  these  deposits  and 
decomposed  underwater  so  slowly  and  so  excluded 
from  the  atmosphere  that  they  have  lost  little  of 
their  original  elements.  Here  they  have  been  pre- 
served by  nature,  as  in  the  crucible  of  the  chemist, 
for  ages,  and  now  lie  in  rich  and  vast  deposits  for 
the  use  of  the  orange-grower.  Some  who  have 
supposed  they  were  using  muck  have  been  mistak- 
en. They  have  found  a  black  sand  with  a  little 
vegetable  matter  with  it,  If  they  had  taken  a  little 
of  it  and  washed  it  they  would  have  found  little  else 
than  sand,  and  some  of  it,  that  of  a  brown  granular 


FERTILIZING.  95 

appearance,  of  a  similar  nature  to  "  hard-pan." 
Such  a  deposit  is  of  no  value,  and  that  containing 
the  brown  sand  is  actually  injurious  to  the  orange. 
Some  who  have  used  this  kind  of  material  have 
failed  to  discover  any  benefit  and  have  cried  out 
against  all  muck.  But  the  time  has  passed  for 
this.  Too  many  have  used  muck  and  found  it 
valuable  for  its  merits  to  remain  longer  unknown. 
Where  this  deposit  is  close  to  the  grove,  an  econom- 
ical way  to  use  it  is  to  haul  it  at  once  from  the  bed 
and  spread  it  broadcast  over  the  ground  and  plow 
it  in.  It  should  not  be  allowed  to  dry  in  the  sun, 
as  it  then  becomes  lumpy.  If  turned  under  the 
surface  it  soon  incorporates  itself  with  the  soil. 
After  it  is  applied  and  turned  under,  a  top-dressing 
of  ashes  or  lime  would  prove  beneficial.  If  the  de- 
posit is  some  distance  from  the  grove  it  is  more  eco- 
nomical to  throw  it  into  heaps  near  the  bed,  but 
under  the  shade,  and  still  better  to  add  a  little  lime 
slaked  with  salt  water  or  ashes,  as  it  is  thrown  in 
uniform  layers.  The  pile  soon  heats  and  dries  out, 
leaving  the  muck  as  friable  as  a  bed  of  sand.  It  is 
then  very  light  and  easily  handled  and  carted.  In 
this  condition  it  can  be  used  in  almost  any  quanti- 
ties ;  the  only  danger  to  be  feared  from  excessive 
use  is  in  piling  it  up  so  deep  over  the  roots  as  to 
smother  them  for  a  while.  And  yet  if  the  crown 
roots  are  kept  uncovered  the  surface  roots  soon  find 
their  way  to  the  muck  near  the  surface.  The  writer 
has  had  the  orange  roots  penetrate,  for  several 


96        ORANGE   CULTURE  IN  FLORIDA. 

inches  above  the  general  surface,  a  pile  of  muck 
left  for  a  few  weeks  near  a  tree. 

Before  trees  reach  the  bearing  state  they  should 
be  fed  with  nitrogenous  manures,  but  after  they 
have  begun  to  bear,  potash  and  kindred  manures 
should  be  liberally  used.  Nitrogenous  manures 
encourage  the  development  of  new  wood  and  foli- 
age, while  phosphate  of  lime  and  potash  are  neces- 
sary to  an  abundance  of  fruit.  The  yellow  leaves 
of  the  tree  indicate  a  deficiency  of  nitrogenous  ma- 
nures, while  the  dark  green  leaves  show  an  abun- 
dance. 

Where  trees  are  slow  in  coming  into  bearing,  or 
where  old  trees  do  not  set  sufficient  fruit,  give  the 
trees  a  liberal  manuring  sufficiently  early  in  the  sea- 
son to  enable  the  rains  to  carry  the  soluble  manure 
to  the  roots  before  the  time  of  forming  the  button 
for  the  bloom.  By  so  doing  you  develop  the  bud, 
that  would  otherwise  only  make  foliage,  into  a  fruit 
bud.  It  requires  more  nutriment  to  make  fruit 
than  wood,  and  hence  the  importance  of  this  in- 
struction. 

In  colder  latitudes  the  frosts  of  winter  lock  up 
the  circulation  of  fruit  trees  that  nature  may  have 
sufficient  time  to  store  food  for  the  greater  effort 
to  bear  fruit.  But  in  the  milder  climate  of  the 
orange  regions  this  circulation  is  not  always  check- 
ed sufficiently  to  prevent  the  consumption  of  the 
soluble  manures  in  the  soil.  And  hence  when  the 
time  of  fruiting  comes,  there  is  not  a  sufficient  sup- 


FERTILIZING.  97 

ply  of  fertility  in  the  soil  to  make  the  blossoms  set 
the  fruit,  and  so  the  tree  makes  the  easier  effort  to 
form  wood  instead  of  fruit.  After  growth  has  been 
for  a  while  suspended,  by  drought  or  poverty  of 
soil,  I  have  brought  trees  into  blooming  and  bear- 
ing during  midsummer  by  a  liberal  application  of 
soluble  manure.  I  have  seen  a  grove  that  had  pre- 
viously borne  only  a  few  scattering  oranges  brought 
into  liberal  bearing  by  the  application  of  a  good 
dressing  of  manure  in  November. 

Once  more  before  leaving  this  subject  :  While 
commercial  manures,  properly  combined  and  suffi- 
ciently concentrated,  are  a  great  convenience,  owing 
to  the  ease  with  which  they  are  distributed,  the 
temptation  to  adulterate  with  something  worthless, 
and  sometimes  something  injurious  to  the  orange, 
is  so  great  that  there  is  much  uncertainty  as  to  their 
real  value.  I  have  occasionally  used  manures  of 
the  same  brand  and  from  the  same  establishment 
which  differed  so  greatly  in  their  real  value  that 
while  I  have  found  one  lot  entirely  satisfactory, 
another  lot  has  proven  quite  worthless.  The  intel- 
ligent orange-grower  can  proceed  with  much  more 
certainty  if  he  can  make  his  own  manures.  For 
this  purpose  no  country  can  furnish  better  facilities 
than  Florida.  In  addition  to  the  abundance  of 
material  for  mulching,  already  mentioned,  there  is 
such  a  vast  quantity  of  muck,  leaves,  and  grass 
from  forests  and  marshes  that  with  a  few  cattle  or 
horses  a  large  amount  of  valuable  manure  can  be 


98        ORANGE   CULTURE  IN  FLORIDA. 

secured  by  those  who  are  willing  to  take  the  trou- 
ble. Some  of  our  planters  in  the  State  have  made 
by  this  method  as  much  as  one  ton  of  good  manure 
per  head  of  cattle  or  horses  per  month.  And  noth- 
ing is  better  for  the  orange  than  this  well-rotted  barn- 
yard manure.  If  it  is  not  convenient  to  keep  stock, 
a  good  compost  can  be  made  by  adding  300 
pounds  of  ground  bone  and  200  pounds  of  muri- 
ate of  potash  to  one  cord  of  muck.  Turn  frequent- 
ly the  compost,  and  when  well  rotted  apply  broad- 
cast at  the  rate  of  1000  pounds  per  acre,  and  har- 
row. 


CHAPTER   XVII. 

SPECIES,    VARIETIES,     ETC. 

flTHERTO  no  mention  has  been  made  of  any 
of  the  Citrus  family  except  the  sweet  orange 
and  the  wild  or  sour  orange — bigarade. 

The  methods  of  propagation  and  cultivation  of 
all  the  family  are  so  similar  that  no  difference  need 
be  mentioned,  except  the  fact  that  the  citron,  the 
lime,  and  the  lemon,  are  much  more  tender  than 
the  orange,  and  need  to  be  planted  in  more  shelter- 
ed places. 

Gallesio  recognizes  but  four  distinct  species  in 
the  family  :  the  orange  (sweet),  the  bigarade  (sour 
orange),  the  citron,  and  the  lemon. 

He  justly  remarks  as  to  the  varieties  :  "  The 
citrus  is  a  genus  whose  species  are  greatly  disposed 
to  blend  together,  and  whose  flower  shows  great 
facility  for  receiving  extraordinary  fecundation  ;  it 
hence  offers  an  infinite  number  of  different  races 
which  ornament  our  gardens,  and  whose  vague  and 
indefinite  names  fill  the  catalogues."  Gray  re- 
marks :  "  The  species  or  varieties  are  much  con- 
fused and  mixed."  Reese  in  his  quotations  from 
authorities  makes  a  similar  confession.  But  if  the 
species,  and  varieties  are  so  confused  in  Europe, 


100      ORANGE   CULTURE  IN  FLORIDA. 

where  the  classification  of  the  citrus  family  has  been 
principally  discussed,  and  where  the  multiplication 
of  varieties  has  been  somewhat  held  in  check  by 
their  method  of  propagating  the  orange,  mainly  by 
graft  or  bud,  what  must  be  "  the  number  of  differ- 
ent races"  which  are  to  be  found  in  Florida,  where 
the  general  method  of  propagating  the  orange  is 
from  seed  ?  * 

At  the  late  meeting  of  our  State  Fruit  Growers' 
Association  a  committee  was  charged  with  the  work 
of  naming  our  best  marked  varieties.  They  made 
a  short  report  on  the  few  varieties  which  came  under 
their  observation.  But  their  work  is  not  com- 
plete, nor  likely  to  be  for  the  next  year  or  two. 
They  are  competent  men,  but  their  task  is  endless 
as  well  as  important.  Almost  every  community 
where  the  orange  has  been  long  grown  from  seed 
has  some  excellent  and  well-marked  variety.  Some 
of  these  varieties  differ  greatly.  Some  ripen  early 
and  others  late.  Some  have  thick  tough  skins  with 
finely  flavored  fruit,  and  are  well  adapted  to  shipping 
a  long  distance,  while  others  are  of  such  a  delicate 
skin  and  pulp  that  they  will  have  to  be  eaten  nearer 
"home.  Some  are  large  and  light 'bearers,  while 
others  are  small  and  heavy  bearers. 

Many  varieties  differ  greatly  in  color,  from  the 
pale  orange  to  a  reddish  orange,  and  even  to  blood 
color.  It  would  be  well  for  those  who  intend 
planting  budded  trees,  or  propose  to  bud  trees 
now  growing,  to  select  the  most  excellent  kinds. 


SPECIES,    VARIETIES,  ETC.  101 

whether  they  have  yet  been  honored  with  a  name 
or  not,  as  it  is  the  quality  of  the  fruit  and  not  the 
name  which  is  needed.  The  name  and  classifica- 
tion will  come  in  time.  Any  new  and  remarkably 
good  varieties  ought  also  to  be  brought  to  the  no- 
tice of  the  above-named  State  committee  on  no- 
menclature. These  gentlemen  will  do  their  duty, 
and  Florida  will  be  compelled  to  have  her  own 
nomenclature,  as  she  has  her  own  varieties. 

The  orange  of  Portugal  and  the  China  orange  are 
two  well-known  varieties  in  Europe,  and  are  fre- 
quently seen  in  Florida,  but  have  changed  some- 
what by  having  been  reproduced  from  seed. 

The  Orange  of  Portugal,  or  common  sweet  orange, 
is  a  tree  growing  to  a  great  height  when  raised  from 
seed.  Its  leaf  is  green,  having  a  winged  petiole  ;  its 
shoots  are  whitish,  its  flowers  entirely  white  and  very 
odorous,  though  not  equal  in  perfume  to  those  of  the 
bigarade. 

Its  fruit,  ordinarily  round,  is  sometimes  flattened, 
sometimes  a  little  oblong.  The  rind,  less  than  an 
eighth  of  an  inch  in  thickness,  is  of  a  reddish  yellow, 
and  full  of  aroma  ;  the  inner  skin  is  a  sallow  white, 
spongy,  and  light.  The  sections,  nine  to  eleven  in 
number,  "contain  a  sweet  juice,  very  refreshing  and 
agreeable  ;  its  seeds  are  white  and  oblong,  germinat- 
ing very  easily  and  reproducing  usually  the  species 
with  little  change.  There  is  a  variety  with  no 
thorns  ;  it  is  the  race  cultivated  mostly  by  grafting, 
and  is  seen  in  all  countries  where  this  method  of 
propagation  is  followed.  In  places  where  the  orange 


102      ORANGE   CULTURE  IN  FLORIDA. 

is  grown  from  seed  it  is  rare  to  find  it  deprived  of 
thorns. 

The  China  Orange  is  a  variety  excelling  all  others 
in  the  perfection  of  its.  fruit,  of  which  the  juice  is  the 
sweetest,  the  most  abundant,  and  the  most  perfumed. 
The  skin  is  always  smooth,  glossy,  and  so  thin  that 
one  can  scarcely  detach  it  from  the  pulp.  This  is 
characteristic  of  this  variety. 

The  Red-fruited  Orange  is  a  singular  variety.  Its 
appearance,  its  leaf,  its  flower,  are  all  exactly  like  the 
common  orange.  Its  fruit  alone  is  distinguished  by  a 
color  of  blood,  which  develops  itself  gradually  and 
like  flakes.  When  the  fruit  begins  to  ripen  it  is  like 
other  oranges  ;  little  by  little,  spots  of  blood-color  ap- 
pear in  its  pulp  ;  as  it  advances  to  maturity,  these  en- 
large, becoming  deeper,  and  finally  embrace  all  the 
pulp  and  spread  to  the  skin,  which  is,  however,  but 
rarely  covered  by  the  peculiar  color  ;  yet  this  some- 
times occurs  if  oranges  are  left  upon  the  trees  after 
the  month  of  May. 

This  orange  is  multiplied  only  by  grafts,  having  few 
seeds,  and  those  of  little  value.  This  is  a  proof  that 
it  is  a  monster  ;  if  it  were  the  type  of  a  species  it  would 
yield  more  seed  and  reproduce  itself  by  seed.  Its 
branches  are  without  thorns,  its  fruit  is  sweet,  but 
jess  so  than  the  China  orange,  and  it  has  thicker 
skin. 

It  is  cultivated  largely  in  Malta  and  Provence.  In 
Liguria  it  is  found  chiefly  among  amateurs  and  seeds- 
men.— Gallesio. 

So  far  as  the  Florida  Fruit  Growers'  Association 
has  determined,  through  their  committee,  the  no- 


SPECIES,    VARIETIES,  ETC.  103 

menclature  of  our  own  varieties  it  is  given  below, 
and  such  should  be  authority  among  the  growers 
in  Florida. 

Citron — Common. — Fruit  very  large  ;  color  that  of 
ordinary  lemon  ;  rind  and  pulp  white,  and  almost 
tasteless  ;  tree  vigorous. 

Orange  Citron. — Fruit  somewhat  cone  -  shaped, 
more  pointed  than  common  variety  ;  color  that  of  an 
ordinary  orange  ;  rind  cream-colored  ;  pulp  yellow- 
ish ;  rind  sweet  and  highly  aromatic  ;  fruit  possesses 
less  bitterness  than  the  common  variety  ;  tree  a 
small,  stiff,  erect  grower.  For  home  use  or  commer- 
cial purposes  this  variety  is  in  general  cultivation. 

Tangier ine  Orange ;  synonyms,  Mandarin,  Kid 
Glove,  Tomato  Orange. — Size  medium  ;  much  flat- 
tened ;  color  dark  orange  ;  broad,  irregular  cavity, 
with  stem  obliquely  inserted  and  surrounded  by  a 
knobbed  eminence  ;  eye  set  in  a  large  depression  one 
inch  wide  and  five  sixteenths  deep  ;  longitudinal  di- 
ameter two  and  a  half  inches,  transverse  diameter 
three  inches  ;  skin  irregularly  ribbed  or  lobed  ;  color 
of  flesh  very  dark  orange  ;  pulp  adhering  to  skin  by  a 
few  filaments  ;  sections  of  pulp  easily  separated  ;  pulp 
coarse  ;  juice  sweet  and  highly  aromatic  ;  aroma 
marked  ;  quality  first.  Tree  of  original  variety  intro- 
duced by  Major  Atway,  from  Bayou  Sara,  La.,  and 
now  growing  in  the  grove  of  Dr.  Moragne,  at  Palatka. 

Dancy  s  Tangierine.  —  Size  small  ;  much  flattened  ; 
color  deeper  and  more  brilliant  than  parent  variety  ; 
longitudinal  diameter  one  and  three  quarter  inches, 
transverse  diameter  two  and  one  quarter  inches  ;  the 
eye  set  in  a  deep  cavity  seven  eighths  in  diameter-; 


104      ORANGE   CULTURE  IN  FLORIDA. 

stalk  straight  and  inserted  in  a  ribbed  depression  ; 
thickness  of  the  skin  three  sixteenths  ;  general  prop- 
erties of  pulp  same  as  parent,  only  superior  ;  fruit 
nearly  seedless.  In  flavor  and  external  appearance 
this  variety  is  superior  to  the  original.  Seminal  vari- 
ety of  the  Tangierine  raised  by  Colonel  F.  L.  Dancy, 
Buena  Vista,  St.  Johns  county,  Fla. 

Citrus  Japonica ;  synonym,  Dwarf  Orange. — 
Dwarf-growing  variety  ;  size  of  fruit  small  ;  slightly 
obovate  ;  color  deep  orange  ;  skin  thin  ;  eye  set  in  a 
flattened  depression  ;  fruit  regularly  ribbed  or  lobed  ; 
longitudinal  diameter  two  inches,  transverse  diam- 
eter one  inch  and  seven  eighths  ;  color  of  flesh  dark  ; 
grain  fine  and  tender  ;  juice  very  acid.  Useless,  ex- 
cept as  an  ornamental  fruit. 

Navel  Orange;  synonyms,  Umbilical,  Bahia, 
Pernambuco,  Seedless  Orange,  Embiguo.—  S'iz.z  large 
to  very  large  ;  eye  presenting  an  umbilical  appearance 
•  (from  which  it  obtains  its  name)  ;  stem  inserted  in  a 
shallow-ribbed  cavity  with  deep  lines  ;  skin  three 
sixteenths  thick ;  longitudinal  diameter  three  and 
five  eighths,  transverse  three  and  three  quarters  ; 
flesh  very  fine,  melting,  and  tender;  juice  sweet, 
sprightly,  vinous,  and  aromatic  ;  quality  first.  Ori- 
gin, Bahia,  Brazil. 

Citrus  'Myrtifolia. — Myrtle-leaved  orange  ;  fruit 
small  and  slightly  flattened  ;  eye  set  in  flattened  de- 
pression ;  leaves  like  those  of  the  myrtle  ;  flavor  re- 
sembling that  of  a  bitter-sweet.  Fruit  useless  for 
table. 

Sweet  Seville  (Hicks}.—  Size  small  ;  slightly  flat- 
tened ;  color  .comparatively  deep  ;  eye  small,  without 
depression  ;  skin  very  smooth  ;  thickness  of  skin  two 


SPECIES,    VARIETIES,  ETC.  105 

sixteenths  ;  longitudinal  diameter  two  inches,  trans- 
verse two  and  three  eighths  ;  color  darker  than  Navel 
orange  ;  foliage  differs  from  other  varieties  examined  ; 
leaves  markedly  obovate  ;  average  length  about  three 
and  one  quarter  inches  ;  .width  about  two  and  five 
eighths  ;  grain  very  fine,  juicy,  and  melting  ;  juice 
very  sweet  and  sprightly  ;  quality  best  ;  a  superior 
fruit  in  every  respect  except  size.  Supposed  to  be  a 
seedling  raised  at  Arcadia,  St.  John's  county,Florida. 

Arcadia. — Size  large  ;  form  somewhat  flattened  ; 
color  deep  ;  eye  set  in  slight  depression  ;  stalk  in- 
serted in  a  slight  roughened  cavity  ;  skin  smooth 
with  marked  pits  ;  thickness  of  skin  three  sixteenths  ; 
longitudinal  diameter  two  and  three  quarter  inches  ; 
transverse  diameter  three  and  a  quarter  inches  ;  color 
of  flesh  deep  ;  grain  coarse  ;  pulp  melting  ;  juice 
slightly  sub-acid  ;  quality  good.  Supposed  seedling 
raised  at  Arcadia,  and  introduced  by  the  Rev.  Will- 
iam Watkin  Hicks. 

Bergamot. — Form  flattened,  with  projecting  nip- 
ple ;  color  deep  lemon  ;  eye  absent,  and  its  place  oc- 
cupied by  a  nipple-like  projection  ;  stem  inserted  in 
a  slight  depression  ;  skin  two  sixteenths  ;  longitudi- 
nal diameter  through  nipple  three  inches,  transverse 
three  inches  ;  color  of  pulp  nearly  white  ;  juice  sweet 
and  watery  without  any  decided  flavor  ;  rind  possesses 
fa  pear-like  fragrance,  from  which  perfumers  obtain 
their  bergamot  essences.  Only  worthy  of  cultivation 
as  a  curiosity. 

Ar<?jiparei7.  —  S']ze  about  medium  ;  somewhat  flat- 
tened ;  color  ordinary  ;  eye  broad  and  set  in  a  slight- 
ly depressed  cavity  ;  stem  inserted  in  a  level,  scarred 
surface  ;  skin  three  sixteenths  thick  ;  longitudinal  di- 


106      ORANGE    CULTURE   IN  FLORIDA. 

ameter  two  and  three  quarters  of  an  inch  ;  transverse 
diameter  three  and  a  quarter  ;  color  of  flesh  ordinary  ; 
grain  fine  ;  pulp  melting  and  tender  ;  juice  suh-acid 
and  vinous  ;  quality  good.  Seedling  raised  by  Mrs. 
Mary  Richard,  Arlington  River,  Duval  County,  Flor- 
ida. 

Magnum  Bonum. — Size  large  to  very  large  ;  flat- 
tened ;  color  light-clear  orange  ;  eye  set  in  a  slight 
cavity  ;  stem  inserted  in  a  narrow  depression  ;  skin 
smooth  and  glossy  ;  thickness  of  skin  two  sixteenths  ; 
longitudinal  three  inches,  and  the  transverse  three 
and  five  eighths  ;  color  of  flesh  light  ;  grain  very 
fine,  tender,  and  melting  ;  fruit  very  heavy  and  juicy  ; 
juice  sweet,  rich,  and  vinous  ;  quality  best.  Probably 
a  seedling  raised  at  Homosassa,  Fla.,  the  former  res- 
idence of  the  Hon.  Mr.  Yulee. 

Old  Vint. — Size  about  medium  ;  slightly  flattened  ; 
color  dark  orange  ;  eye  broad,  and  set  in  a  slight  cav- 
ity ;  stem  inserted  in  a  narrow  wrinkled  depression  ; 
surface  of  skin  rough  ;  thickness  of  skin  three  six- 
teenths ;  longitudinal  diameter  two  and  three  quar- 
ter inches  ;  transverse  diameter  three  and  one  eighth  ; 
grain  coarse  ;  pulp  melting  ;  juice  sub-acid  and  re- 
markable for  a  sprightly  vinous  property  ;  quality 
good.  Seedling  raised  by  Col.  Dancy,  Buena  Vista, 
St.  John's  County,  Florida. 

Buena  Vista  ;  synonym,  Sweet  Seville. — Size  me- 
dium ;  slightly  flattened  ;  color  dark  crimson  ;  eye  set 
in  a  slightly  depressed  cavity  ;  stem  inserted  in  a 
slight  depression  ;  skin  smooth,  with  deep  pits  ; 
thickness  of  skin  nearly  four  sixteenths  ;  longitudinal 
diameter  two  and  three  quarter  inches,  transverse 
three  inchi's  ;  color  of  flesh  very  dark  ;  pulp  coarse. 


SPECIES,    VARIETIES,  ETC.  107 

but  melting  ;  juice  sub-acid  ;  sprightly  with  vinous 
flavor  ;  quality  good.  Seedling  raised  by  Colonel 
Dancy. 

No.  3  (Beach1  s). — Size  above  medium  ;  form  ob- 
long ;  color  light  ;  eye  set  in  flattened  surface  ;  stem 
inserted  in  a  slight,  wrinkled  cavity  ;  thickness  of 
skin  three  sixteenths  ;  longitudinal  diameter  three 
and  three  eighths,  transverse  three  and  a  qunrter 
inches  ;  pulp  coarse,  not  melting  ;  juice  sub-acid  ; 
quality  fair. 

Osccola.  —  Size  large;  slightly  flattened;  color 
bright  ;  skin  smooth  and  glossy  ;  eye  very  small,  and 
set  in  a  slight  cavity  ;  stem  inserted  in  small,  shal- 
low, wrinkled  depression  ;  skin  three  sixteenths 
thick  ;  longitudinal  diameter  three  inches  ;  trans- 
verse three  and  a  quarter  ;  grain  coarse  ;  pulp  rather 
melting  ;  juice  sweet  ;  quality  good.  Seedling  raised 
by  L.  H.  Van  Pelt,  Mandarin,  Florida. 

Dixon  Orange. — Size  large  ;  somewhat  flattened  ; 
color  light  ;  eye  small,  inserted  in  a  slightly  depress- 
ed cavity  ;  stem  inserted  in  deep,  narrow  depression  ; 
thickness  of  skin  four  sixteenths  of  an  inch  ;  longitu- 
dinal diameter  three  inches  ;  transverse  three  and  a 
half ;  grain  coarse  ;  pulp  not  melting  ;  juice  sub- 
acid,  without  any  decided  flavor  ;  quality  second. 
Seedling  raised  on  Indian  River. 

Sweet  Seville  (Tolman  s). — Size  below  medium, 
but  larger  than  Hicks'  variety  ;  form  flattened  ;  color 
light  orange  ;  eye  large,  without  any  cavity,  and  sur- 
rounded by  a  dark  circle  ;  stem  inserted  without  cav- 
ity ;  skin  smooth  and  two  sixteenths  thick  ;  longitu- 
dinal diameter  two  and  a  quarter  inches,  transverse 
two  and  five  eighths  ;  pulp  fine,  melting,  juicy, 


108      ORANGE   CULTURE  IN  FLORIDA. 

.  sweet  ;    inferior  quality  to  Hicks'   variety.     Origin, 
Mandarin,  Florida. 

Sweet  Lemon.  —Size  very  small  ;  form  much  flat- 
tened ;  color  rusty,  grayish  yellow  ;  instead  of  eye  a 
marked  nipple  set  in  a  deep  cavity  ;  stem  inserted  in 
a  slight  depression  ;  thickness  of  skin  two  sixteenths  ; 
longitudinal  diameter  two  inches,  transverse  two 
and  one  eighth  ;  color  of  flesh  dark  lemon  ;  grain  of 
pulp  coarse  ;  juice  sweet  and  insipid,  with  slight 
lemon  flavor.  Curious,  but  unworthy  of  cultivation. 

The  following  appeared  in  the  Florida  Agricul- 
turist, from  the  pen  of  A.  H.  Manville,  one  of  our 
most  intelligent  nurserymen  : 

SELECTION   OF   VARIETIES. 

In  planting  for  profit  it  would  be  almost  impossible 
for  a  person  unacquainted  with  the  many  varieties  of 
'the  citrus  to  make  an  intelligent  selection  without  a 
more  comprehensive  guide  than  a  brief  description  of 
the  different  varieties. 

Of  the  varieties  of  the  Sweet  Orange  known 
in  Florida,  the  Bell,  Du  Roi,  Egg,  Blood,  and 
Navel  are  distinctly  marked  and  readily  distin- 
guishable by  their  appearance.  The  Bell  —  which 
must  not  be  confounded  with  the  insipid,  thick- 
skinned,  early,  oblong  variety— and  ihe  Du  Roi  are 
in  every  respect  superior  fruit  ;  their  fine  quality 
will  always  command  for  them  a  high  price,  while 
their  distinctive  characteristics  will  prevent  deception 
or  confusion  regarding  their'  variety.  The  Navel 
ranks  among  the  first  for  size  and  quality  ;  and,  like 
the  above,  its  peculiar  mark  will  distinguish  it  in  mar- 


SPECIE  S,    VARIETIES,  ETC.  109 

ket.  Unlike  the  above,  it  is  not  a  prolific  bearer,  on 
which  account  many  fear  to  plant  ;  it  is  however  by 
no  means  as  shy  a  bearer  as  has  been  represented. 
The  Blood  has  not  been  fruited  long  enough  in  the 
State  to  determine  its  market  value.  The  Egg  is  val- 
uable as  an  early  fruit  for  home  use  ;  its  small  size 
and  want  of  flavor  render  it  unfit  for  market.  The 
Sweet  Seville  and  St.  Michaels,  though  not  distinctly 
marked,  are  to  some  extent  distinguishable  by  the  ap- 
pearance of  the  fruit  ;  the  former  is  one  of  the  most 
delicious  for  home  use,  though  too  small  for  profitable 
shipment  ;  the  latter  is  prolific  and  a  good  market 
fruit.  Acis,  Arcadia,  Beach's  No.  3,  Creole,  Dum- 
mit,  Dixon,  Excelsior,  HAMOSASSA,  Higgins,  MAG- 
NUM BONUM,  NONPAREIL,  Osceola,  OLD  VINI, 
PEERLESS,  Ahiti,  and  perhaps  others  having  a  local 
name  and  celebrity,  are  native  varieties  recently 
brought  to  public  notice  ;  those  in  SMALL  CAPS  are 
best  known  and  most  highly  esteemed.  They  are  all 
very  similar,  the  difference,  if  any,  being  too  slight 
to  distinguish  them  in  market,  and  of  little  importance 
to  growers  generally.  The  differences  of  description 
have  arisen  from  soil,  location,  and  treatment  rather 
than  from  any  intrinsic  difference  in  the  fruit.  This 
multiplication  of  varieties  differing  little  in  character 
would  seem  at  first  to  be  useless,  confusing  the 
grower  and  burdening  the  nurserymen  ;  in  fact,  they 
served  good  purposes,  placing  a  superior  variety 
within  reach  of  every  section,  and  being  a  safeguard 
against  the  numberless  inferior  sorts.  While,  there- 
fore, it  is  immaterial  in  planting  which  of  these  be 
selected,  it  is  highly  important  that  a  well-known  ac- 
credited variety  be  chosen.  Tardiff  does  not  differ  in 


no      ORANGE   CULTURE  IN  FLORIDA. 

appearance  or  quality  from  the  above,  but  retains  its 
perfection  until  very  late  in  the  season  ;  if  this  habit 
remains  permanent  it  will  be  one  of  the  most  desira- 
ble. Botelha,  Dulcissima,  Jaffa,  and  other  recently 
imported  varieties  have  not  been  fruited  long  enough 
in  the  State  to  determine  their  qualities. 

Of  all  the  citrus  tribe  the  Mandarin  or  Tangerine 
orange  is  the  most  delicate  and  aromatic,  though 
scarcely  as  luscious  as  the  Sweet  Orange  of  Florida. 
On  account  of  its  beautiful  shape,  color,  and  the  ease 
with  which  the  rind  and  segments  separate,  it  is 
highly  esteemed  as  a  dessert  fruit.  Comparatively 
few  are  shipped,  and  these  bring  an  enormously  high 
price.  The  effect  of  increased  production  consequent 
upon  the  large  number  being  planted  remains  to  be 
seen.  The  trees  are  hardy  and  prolific.  There  are 
two  distinct  classes — the  first  dwarfed,  willow- 
leaved,  and  yellow-fruited.  Of  this  class  there  are 
many  inferior  seedling  varieties  which  have  occasion- 
ed a  prejudice  against  it  in  some  localities  ;  the  trees 
can  be  planted  much  closer  than  the  Sweet  Orange. 
The  second,  full-sized,  large-leaved,  crimson-fruited, 
much  prized  on  account  of  its  color.  The  China  and 
St.  Michaels  of  the  former  class  and  the  Bijou  of  the 
latter  are  superior  varieties. 

Until  recently  Florida  lemons  have  been  regarded 
as  too  large,  thick-skinned,  and  bitter-rinded  for 
profitable  shipment.  The  last  few  years  have  dem- 
onstrated this  to  be  erroneous.  Heretofore  com- 
paratively unknown  in  market,  a  poor  opinion  was 
formed  from  the  inferior  quality  and  improper  prep- 
aration of  the  specimens  fowarded.  The  fruit  is  now 
in  demand,  sought  for  by  local  buyers  and  consignees 


SPECIES,    VARIETIES,  ETC.  in 

in  Northern  markets,  and  commands  a  price  equal  to 
the  best  Florida  oranges  and  much  greater  than  im- 
ported lemons.  As  a  result  of  this  favorable  condi- 
tion of  market,  many  are  planting  extensively.  The 
lemon  is  more  prolific  and  an  earlier  bearer  than  the 
orange,  and  its  cultivation  equally  or  more  remunera- 
tive ;  the  tree  will  not  stand  as  great  a  degree  of  cold 
as  the  latter,  but  is  successfully  grown  as  far  north 
as  Putnam  County.  While  much  of  the  fruit  pro- 
duced in  the  State  is  superior  in  quality,  there  are 
numberless  coarse,  inferior  sorts  ;  to  avoid  these,  as 
with  the  orange,  only  well-known  leading  varieties 
should  be  planted.  The  Sicily,  or  imported  lemon  of 
commerce,  French's  Seedling,  not  the  so-called 
French  lemon,  and  Lamb  have  fruited  for  some  years, 
and  are  far  superior  in  every  respect,  the  two  latter 
being  equal  to  the  imported  fruit.  The  characteristics 
of  the  fruit  of  these  three  varieties  are  essentially  the 
same.  French's  Seedling  is  less  thorny  than  the 
others.  Bijou,  Eureka,  Genoa,  Imperial,  and  some 
others  recently  introduced  promise  well.  Ever-bear- 
ing is  valuable  for  home  use  rather  than  market. 
Young  trees  of  this  species,  even  of  the  best  varie- 
ties, are  apt  to  produce  large,  coarse  fruit ;  it  becomes 
smaller  and  finer  as  the  tree  grows  older. 

Extract  from  Horticultural  Congress  Papers,  by 
Thomas  Rivers,  England. 

Botelha  and  Dulcissima,  both  thin  rinds  and  very 
rich.  Egg,  very  large,  rind  thick,  remarkably  juicy, 
but  not  rich  ;  a  great  bearer.  Exquisite,  a  thin-rind- 
ed, rich,  and  juicy  fruit.  Maltese  Shod,  large,  oval, 


112      ORANGE   CULTURE  IN  FLORIDA. 

with  dark  red  pulp,  exceedingly  rich,  good  and  dis- 
tinct ;  fruit  from  the  same  tree  vary  in  color  from 
deep  red  to  the  usual  pale  yellow  color,  with  faint 
streaks  of  red.  St.  Michaels,  thin  rind,  very  juicy, 
and  bears  abundantly.  Silver  Orange,  color  of  rind 
pale  yellow,  flesh  pale,  rind  very  thin,  flavor  piquant 
and  delicious.  Sustain,  large,  and  remarkable  for  its 
sweet  juices.  White  Orange,  large,  rind  pale  yel- 
low, flesh  very  pale,  flavor  rich  and  good. 

The  following  is  from  the  report  of  the  Southern 
California  Horticultural  Society  : 

FINE   ORANGES. 

T.  A.  Garey,  from  San  Francisco,  presented  sev- 
eral specimens  of  Carey's  Mediterranean  Sweet  Or- 
ange, to  show  in  what  a  good  state  of  preservation 
this  fruit  will  keep  to  so  late  a  period  as  the  middle 
of  August.  The  specimens  were  cut  and  tested  by 
those  present.  They  were  of  a  fine  texture,  solid, 
juicy,  of  a  good  flavor,  and  looked  as  though  they 
would  remain  on  the  trees  unimpaired  in  quality  for 
a  month  longer.  Mr.  Garey  claims  for  this  fruit  the 
following  good  qualities  : 

This  orange  commences  to  fruit  the  second  year 
from  the  bud. 

It  bears  heavy  and  regular  crops.          0. 

The  fruit  commences  to  ripen  in  December,  and 
remains  sound  and  firm  on  the  tree  until  the  follow- 
ing August. 

It  is  of  large  size,  symmetrical  shape,  and  extraor- 
dinary fine  color. 


SPECIES,    VARIETIES,  ETC.  113 

A  large  proportion  are  entirely  seedless. 

The  flavor  is  excellent,  the  grain  very  fine,  and  the 
fruit  is  almost  entirely  free  from  the  tough  and 
stringy  membranous  substances  usually  found  in 
oranges. 

Its  keeping  qualities  are  superior  to  any  variety 
tested  in  this  country,  rendering  it  a  superior  market 
fruit. 

The  tree  is  a  rapid  grower,  symmetrical  in  shape, 
and  forming  invariably  a  round  and  beautiful  head. 

An  entire  absence  of  thorns,  avoiding  by  this  pe- 
culiarity the  large  percentage  of  loss  usually  sustain- 
ed in  the  puncturing  of  the  fruit  by  the  thorns  or 
spines  found  on  the  common  variety  of  orange  trees. 

In  concluding  this  subject  of  varieties,  I  would 
urge  upon  the  orange  growers  of  this  State  the  ad- 
visability of  selecting  and  cultivating  varieties  with 
reference  to  their  time  of  maturing.  The  orange 
naturally  has  the  advantage  of  most  fruits  in  point 
of  extending  the  time  of  ripening.  It  is  a  crop 
that  can  be  harvested  as  the  market  demands — be- 
ginning ordinarily  with  November  and  ending  with 
March.  And  this  period  might  be  extended  so  as 
to  embrace  a  still  longer  time,  by  gathering  in 
March  and  carefully  housing,  thus  preventing  de- 
terioration of  fruit  by  longer  hanging  on  the  tree, 
and  giving  relief  to  the  latter. 

This  course  has  been  advised  by  one  who  has 
studied  the  methods  of  handling  the  orange  in 
European  groves. 


114      ORANGE   CULTURE  IN  FLORIDA. 

A  dry  packing-house,  with  numerous  shelves  and 
frequent  fumigation,  will  probably  play  an  impor- 
tant part  in  the  future  as  a  preventive  of  a  tem- 
porary market-glut,  or  the  effects  of  a  septennial 
freeze.  But  this  matter  can  be  helped  by  an  intel- 
ligent selection  of  kinds  for  stocking  a  grove.  Nor 
have  we  even  then  seen  the  final  result  :  if  early 
varieties  have  been  propagated  in  this  initiatory 
stage  of  the  study  of  the  orange  industry,  others 
will  be  introduced  that  are  earlier  ;  if  a  freak  of 
nature  has  given  us  an  orange  that  ripens  in 
March,  the  observant  orchardist  will  not  be  long  in 
improving  on  this. 

A  late-maturing  orange  has  already  been  mention- 
ed in  these  pages,  but  there  is  an  early  variety  that 
nurserymen  pass  over  in  their  catalogues,  yet  which 
should  not  be  despised.  Like  the  lemon  grown  in 
this  State,  its  treatment  has  not  been  such  as  to 
bring  out  its  merits.  Under  no  circumstances  is  it 
as  good  an  orange  as  the  ordinary  Florida  fruit, 
when  the  latter  is  matured.  But  the  "  Thornless 
Bell"  is  edible  in  September,  and  is  best  when 
gathered  then,  before  it  yellows  on  the  tree.  When 
permitted  to  turn  on  the  tree  it  loses  that  sufficiency 
of  acidity  which  it  possesses  earlier,  and  which  pre- 
vents its  being  insipid — the  common  objection  to 
it.  Instead  of  a  thick  rind,  it  then  cures  with  a 
skin  as  thin  as  that  of  the  imported  Sicily  orange, 
and  with  which  it  will  probably  compare  favorably 
as  to  general  quality.  Let  it  be  understood  that 


SPECIES,    VARIETIES,  ETC. 


1*5 


all  that  is  claimed  for  this  '  *  September' '  orange,  as 
it  might  be  designated,  are  its  early  ripening  quali- 
ties and  its  wonderfully  prolific  nature. 


CHAPTER   XVIII. 

THE    LEMON    AND    LIME. 

COMPARATIVELY  little  attention  has  been 
S3  given  in  Florida  to  the  cultivation  of  the  lemon 
and  lime  ;  and  yet  these  are  among  the  most  val- 
uable of  the  citrus  family,  whether  we  consider  their 
monetary  value  or  their  healthfulness.  This  neg- 
lect has  arisen  from  several  causes. 

The  lemon  is  a  more  vigorous  grower  than  the 
orange,  and  when  planted  on  strong  or  fresh  land 
the  fruit  grows  to  a  much  larger  size  and  with  a 
thicker  skin  than  in  Europe.  The  rind,  also, 
when  the  fruit  is  permitted  to  yellow  upon  the  tree, 
is  bitter,  which  destroys  the  commercial  value  of 
the  lemon.  Other  ill  results  are  noticed  when  the 
fruit  is  permitted  to  ripen  on  the  tree.  Such  fruit 
is  comparatively  light,  the  juice  sparse,  and  charged 
with  a  small  per  cent  of  citric  acid.  All  this  is  the 
result  of  a  want  of  knowledge  of  proper  treatment 
of  the  fruit.  My  lemons  have  brought  in  New 
York  and  Philadelphia  more  money  per  box  than 
my  oranges,  and  have  in  these  markets  ranked  as 
first  quality.  I  would  mention  also  that  as  a  gen- 
eral rule  the  lemon  tree  is  more  productive  than 
the  orange.  This  fruit  which  ranked  so  high  was 


THE  LEMON  AND   LIME.  117 

gathered  from  seedlings  planted  from  seed  of  the 
Sicily  and  Messina  fruit  of  commerce.  If  the  fruit 
on  these  trees  is  allowed  to  ripen  on  the  tree  they 
average  three  fourths  of  a  pound  in  weight,  but  of 
inferior  quality,  juice  little,  and  rind  thick. 

My  method  of  preparing  for  market  is  to  gather 
the  fruit  when  about  one  third  larger  than  we  find 
the  Sicily  lemon  when  it  reaches  our  American 
market.  In  curing,  the  fruit  will  shrink  this  extra 
third.  The  fruit  is  gathered  in  latticed  boxes  hold- 
ing about  fifty  lemons  each  and  only  two  layers 
deep.  The  fruit  should  be  cut  with  short  stems,  and 
so  handled  as  not  to  be  bruised.  The  boxes  are  at 
once  put  into  a  close  room  one  on  top  of  another, 
but  forming  a  hollow  square.  If  the  room  is  large, 
cover  the  pile  of  boxes  with  a  cloth  that  will  con- 
fine the  sulphurous  gas  with  which  the  fruit  is  to  be 
treated.  Place  in  the  centre  of  the  square,  and  suf- 
ficiently remote  from  the  boxes  not  to  heat  the 
fruit,  an  oven  of  live  coals.  Throw  on  the  burning 
coals  an  ounce  of  flowers  of  sulphur,  and  fasten 
down  the  cloths. '  If  the  room  is  small  and  tight  the 
cloth  is  not  necessary.  Allow  the  fruit  to  remain 
in  a  dark  room  for  a  week,  then  expose  to  sun- 
light— the  direct  rays  of  the  sun  a  part  of  the  day  is 
best — until  the  skin  is  yellow.  The  fruit  is  then 
ready  for  market  or  to  be  stored  for  future  use,  for 
when  thus  treated  it  can  be  kept  for  an  indefinite 
time.  This  sulphurous  gas  is  of  great  benefit  in 
the  curing  of  both  lemon  and  orange  :  First,  it  aids 


Ii8.     ORANGE   CULTURE  IN  FLORIDA. 

in  properly  curing  the  fruit  by  toughening  the  skin 
and  drying  up  the  watery  particles  ;  second,  it  is 
fatal  to  all  parasites  of  the  orange,  whether  vegeta- 
ble or  animal.  I  am  satisfied  that  a  very  large  per 
cent  of  the  speedy  decay  of  the  orange  so  fatal  to 
shippers  is  occasioned  by  the  germs  of  fungi  left 
over  from  the  former  year  in  packing-houses,  and 
old  boxes  in  which  rotten  fruit  was  conveyed. 
These  germs  lie  dormant,  waiting  for  a  moist  at- 
mosphere favorable  to  their  development  ;  they  then 
develop  and  multiply  with  wondrous  rapidity, 
showing  their  work  in  the  form  of  mould  on  any 
moist  surface,  but  especially  on  fruit.  Some  years 
ago  I  put  into  a  basket  that  had  held  some  decayed 
lemons,  on  the  sides  of  which  basket  at  the  time  of 
gathering  I  noticed  a  little  mould,  some  very  fine 
Tangerine  oranges.  In  two  days'  time  half  the  fruit 
was  entirely  worthless.  The  fruit  that  was  left  on 
the  tree,  or  that  had  been  otherwise  handled,  was 
entirely  sound.  This  gave  me  a  hint.  It  was  a 
very  wet  season  ;  most  of  our  shippers  were  losing 
heavily.  Commission  merchants  were  constantly 
reporting  * '  Fruit  arrived  in  bad  order, "  ' '  Did  not 
pay  expenses. "  I  knew  that  sulphurous  fumes 
were  fatal  to  fungoids.  I  commenced  to  gather 
and  ship  in  the  midst  of  the  damp  season.  I  fumi- 
gated every  box  of  fruit,  and  though  mould  had  ap- 
peared on  the  fruit  as  it  hung  on  the  trees,  I  heard 
no  report  of  decayed  fruit,  but  on  the  contrary  had 


THE  LEMON  AND  LIME.  119 

the  report  of  "Arrived  in  good  condition,"  and 
"  Good  price." 

I  have  not  had  much  experience  in  handling  the 
lime,  but  I  am  convinced  that  this  fruit,  most  val- 
uable because  of  its  healthfulness  and  its  richness 
in  citric  acid,  can  be  cured  as  easily  as  the  lemon, 
and  preserved  quite  as  long  if  subjected  to  the  treat- 
ment recommended  for  the  lemon.  This  fruit 
needs  only  to  be  known  in  our  Northern  market  to 
be  valued  even  more  highly  than  the  lemon.  When 
once  brought  into  notice  it  will  prove  truly  profita- 
ble to  the  grower.  The  yield  is  speedy  and  abun- 
dant 

The  Florida  lemon,  marketed  during  the  latter 
part  of  August  and  all  of  September  and  October, 
meets  with  little  competition  from  foreign  fruit. 


CHAPTER   XIX. 

THE    INSECTS    DAMAGING   TO    THE   ORANGE    TREE THE 

NATURAL     ENEMIES     OF     SUCH      INSECTS,     AND      THE 
REMEDIES    TO    BE    APPLIED. 

§UT  few  insects  injurious  to  the  orange  tree  have 
appeared,  but  their  ravages  have  now  and 
then  done  considerable  mischief,  and  awakened 
still  greater  apprehension.  The  insect  which  at 
one  time  was  considered  the  most  injurious  was 
the  long  scale  insect,  resembling  one  side  of  a  dis- 
torted muscle-shell,  and  was  called  by  Packard  As- 
pidiotus  Gloverii.  When  it  first  made  its  appear- 
ance in  Florida  it  threatened  universal  destruction 
of  the  orange  groves.  It  first  made  its  appearance 
at  Mandarin,  Florida,  about  forty  years  ago,  to 
which  place  it  was  brought  on  some  China  orange 
plants  freshly  imported  from  China.  The  insect  is 
very  diminutive,  and  under  a  glass  of  strong  power 
has  the  appearance  of  a  white  louse.  It  is  very 
quick  in  its  motions  (its  movements  resembling 
those  of  the  chicken-mite),  and  conceals  itself,  dur- 
ing the  presence  of  an  enemy,  under  the  scale 
erected  for  the  shelter,  first  of  the  egg  and  then  of 
the  young  insect.  The  eggs  are  purple  and  laid  in 
two  parallel  rows.  The  insect  when  hatched  at 


INSECTS  DAMAGING  ORANGE   TREE.    1 21 

once  begins  to  suck  the  sap — like  the  aphis — from 
the  bark  and  leaf  of  the  tree  wherever  the  scale 
happens  to  be  fastened.  It  finally  develops  into  a 
diminutive  fly  undiscoverable  with  the  natural  eye, 
except  when  late  in  the  afternoon  they  can  be  seen 
between  the  observer  and  the  declining  sun  when 
the  tree  infested  is  suddenly  jarred.  The  effect  pro- 
duced by  their  sucking  is  first  to  deplete  and  finally 
to  exhaust  and  kill  the  branch  and  leaf  to  which 
they  cling.  Several  remedies  have  been  found  effect- 
ual. The  most  effective  yet  known  to  the  writer  is 
a  decoction  of  tobacco  with  sufficient  carbolic  soap 
to  make  a  strong  suds.  Apply  with  a  garden  syringe 
or  pump,  through  a  perforated  nozzle.  Kerosene, 
in  the  proportion  of  one  part  of  kerosene  to  eleven 
of  water,  applied  in  the  same  manner,  is  effective. 
But  there  is  danger  if  too  much  be  used.  A  mod- 
erate amount  is  a  good  fertilizer  and  stimulant  to 
the  tree.  As  there  is  no  chemical  affinity  between 
the  kerosene  and  water,  the  mixture  has  to  be  kept 
vigorously  stirred  during  the  time  of  applying  it. 
Either  of  these  applications  has  to  be  repeated  two 
or  three  times,  at  intervals  of  ten  or  twelve  days. 

Another  insect  similar  to  the  one  just  consid- 
ered, but  with  scale  of  lighter  appearance  and  of 
rounder  form,  is  also  damaging  to  the  trees.  This 
insect  seldom  attacks  either  the  leaves  or  the  tender 
wood,  but  confines  itself  mainly  to  the  bark  of  the 
wood  from  one  to  four  years  old.  They  are  easily 
and  effectively  removed  by  washing  the  trunks 


122      ORANGE   CULTURE  IN  FLORIDA. 

with  wood-ashes  and  water  in  the  proportion  ot 
one  quart  of  ashes  to  three  gallons  of  water.  If 
found  generally  on  the  tree  in  positions  not  easily 
reached  by  the  hand,  syringe  as  before  with  "  white 
lye" — lye  prepared  by  boiling  wood-ashes. 

A  most  formidable  enemy  to  both  these  insects 
named  has  appeared  within  the  last  two  years  in 
the  grove  of  the  writer.  It  is  a  lady-bug  with  a  sin- 
gle red  spot  on  each  wing  case.  In  both  the  pupa 
and  perfect  state  it  is  ever  busy  devouring  these  in- 
sects. Of  course  they  are  allowed  full  freedom  of 
the  grove,  and  are  increasing  very  rapidly. 

Another  enemy,  noticed  for  the  first  time  and 
during  the  present  year  in  the  grove  of  the  writer, 
of  the  long  scale  insect,  has  appeared  in  the  form 
of  a  small  hang  or  basket  worm,  ' '  named  by  Mr. 
Packard  (as  the  writer  has  been  informed  through 
the  entomological  department  of  the  Agricultural 
Department),  Platcecitus  Gloverii,"  but  later 
named  Psyche  Confederata.  The  female  remains 
in  her  case  and  devours  insects  inclosed  under  her 
web.  The  male  is  a  small  dark- colored  moth. 
These  insects  are  not  a  very  formidable  enemy  to 
the  scale,  as  the  female  confines  herself  closely  in 
her  operations  under  her  web.  But  some  small 
trees  have  been  entirely  rid  'of  insects  by  their  help. 
But  if  "  these  insects,"  as  the  entomologist  of  the 
Agricultural  Department  writes,  "  in  their  habits 
resemble  the  basket  or  drop  worm  of  the  North," 
they  might  prove  an  enemy  to  the  orange  tree  as 


INSECTS  DAMAGING  ORANGE   TREE,   123 

well  as  to  the  scale  insect,  and  if  so  should  not  be 
encouraged. 

Another  insect  resembles,  when  young,  fine 
corn-meal  dusted  over  the  tree,  but  when  the  case 
in  which  the  insects  are  inclosed  is  full  grown  it 
resembles  the  small  barnacles  clinging  to  a  wharf 
built  in  salt  water.  When  these  cases  are  turned 
over  and  examined  with  a  glass  they  disclose 
under  each  a  multitude  of  small  insects  resembling 
lice.  They  do  not  exhaust  trees  so  rapidly  as  the 
scale  insect,  but  their  presence  is  damaging.  The 
leaves  of  the  trees  infested  change  after  a  while  to  a 
dark  sooty  appearance,  and  the  tree  does  not  grow 
so  rapidly. 

An  enemy  to  this  insect  also  has  appeared.  I 
am  informed  by  the  entomologist  of  the  Agricultu- 
ral Department,  to  whom  I  sent  specimens  of  this 
and  the  other  insects  mentioned,  that  the  "  insect 
is  the  Evagoras  Rubidus,  which  destroys  the  plant- 
lice  on  the  cotton  and  orange,  at  least  I  have  found 
it  in  the  act  of  sucking  out  the  juice  of  a  plant- 
louse."  As  I  finished  the  above  sentence  I  laid 
my  pen  down  to  go  out  and  capture  some  of  these 
insects,  that  I  might  give  a  more  accurate  descrip- 
tion, and  found  a  full-grown  insect  which  had  just 
pierced  with  his  proboscis  a  full-grown  house-fly. 
He  continued  his  feast  for  a  few  moments  as  I 
watched,  and  when  frightened  retreated,  carrying  his 
prey  with  him.  This  insect  when  young  resem- 
bles a  red  spider.  As  it  increases  in  size  it  changes 


124      ORANGE   CULTURE  IN  FLORIDA. 

to  a  salmon  color  with  white  spots.  When  half 
grown,  or  about  one  half  inch  in  length,  two  small 
black  wings  are  visible.  When  full  grown,  or  three 
fourths  of  an  inch  in  length,  two  pairs  of  wings 
show  themselves,  the  smaller  or  under  pair  black, 
the  upper  pair  black,  with  salmon-colored  marking 
on  the  forward  halves  of  the  wings.  When  fully 
grown  the  insect  is  ready  for  flight  and  is  very  ac- 
tive. When  young  it  is  very  busy  feeding  upon 
small  insects  ;  when  grown  it  seeks  for  larger  prey. 
Since  writing  the  above  I  find  a  description  of  the 
above  insect  in  Agricultural  Report  of  1875,  page 

^i- 

The  wood-louse,  or  white  ant,  has  occasioned  se- 
rious trouble  and  sometimes  death  to  many  fine 
young  trees  where  the  preventive  was  not  used — 
ashes  or  slaked  lime  around  the  base  of  the  trunk. 
When  a  tree  begins  suddenly  to  show  yellow  leaves 
examine  a  few  inches  below  the  surface  at  the  base 
of  the  trunk  for  wood-lice,  especially  if  a  stake  has 
been  driven  near  the  tree  for  its  support,  or  if  litter 
from  the  forest  or  mulching  of  leaves  has  been  used. 
If  wood-lice  are  discovered,  clear  them  away  care- 
fully, and  pour  boiling  water  into  the  cavity  around 
the  tree  until  all  the  cavities  in  which  the  lice  could 
have  concealed  themselves  have  been  reached.  If 
the  tree  has  been  but  partially  girdled  it  will  re- 
cover, if  the  soil  be  placed  above  the  wounded  part. 
But  if  the  tree  has  been  completely  girdled,  get 
well  rotted  muck  and  pile  it  for  three  or  four  inches 


INSECTS  DAMAGING  ORANGE  TREE.   125 

above  the  wound,  and  cover  over  with  sand.  Fin- 
ish with  a  top-dressing  of  fresh  wood-ashes  or 
slaked  lime.  If  the  tree  is  not  too  far  spent  it 
will  send  out  young  roots  above  the  wound  and 
finally  recover. 

Another  insect  to  be  noticed  resembles  the  squash- 
bug,  and  is  called  by  the  entomologist  of  the  De- 
partment of  Agriculture  Euthoctha  Galeator.  This 
insect  is  very  bold  in  its  attack.  I  have  watched 
them  frequently  in  their  operations  as  they  were 
lying  in  the  hot  sun  basking,  while  their  probosces 
were  inserted  in  the  tender  shoots.  I  have  held  my 
magnifying-glass  within  a  half  or  three  quarters  of 
an  inch  from  them,  and  had  the  finest  opportunity 
of  observing  the  operations  of  this  bold  enemy  of 
the  orange.  I  have  seen  the  tenderer  shoots  wilt 
when  the  insect  was  sucking  them,  from  the  ex- 
tremity to  the  point  at  which  this  insect  had  insert- 
ed its  proboscis.  As  this  insect  is  large,  the  injury 
inflicted  by  it  is  speedy.  But  when  the  shoot  is 
older  and  more  vigorous  the  effect  is  very  similar 
to  that  produced  by  die-back.  These  insects  are 
more  apt  to  'attack  trees  starting  young  shoots  at 
periods  of  the  year  when  the  grove  is  not  generally 
making  new  wood.  As  they  cannot  pierce  the  old 
wood  they  seek  for  the  tenderest.  This  accounts 
for  the  impression  that  stimulating  or  forcing  a  tree 
produces  the  die-back. 

The  Euthoctha  Galeator  is  fond  of  concealing 
itself  under  litter  of  any  kind  during  the  night  or 


126      ORANGE   CULTURE  IN  FLORIDA. 

cold  weather.  Mulching  around  a  tree  is  an  at- 
tractive covert  from  which  they  start  forth,  when  the 
sun  begins  to  shine  warmly,  to  the  nearest  tender 
branch.  This  has  caused  others  to  conclude  that 
mulching  was  the  cai  ise  of  die-back. 

There  is  another  form  of  this  disease,  arising  from 
an  entirely  different  cause,  to  be  noticed  in  the  next 
chapter.  As  no  natural  enemies  of  these  insects  are 
known,  watchfulness  on  the  part  of  the  orange 
grower  is  alone  to  be  relied  upon  for  their  destruc- 
tion. They  should  be  caught  by  hand  or  in  a  net 
and  killed.  The  insect  last  described  is  very  apt 
to  conceal  itself  under  litter  during  the  winter. 
Pieces  of  bark,  boards,  logs,  stumps,  litter  of  every 
kind  offer  them  shelter.  In  early  spring  when  the 
weather  is  cold  everything  of  the  kind  in  the  vicin- 
ity of  the  orange  grove  infested  should  be  burned. 
The  insect  is  very  fond  of  sucking  the  cow-pea, 
and  lays  its  eggs  near  its  field  of  operation,  often 
on  the  under  side  of  the  leaf  of  the  plant  on  which 
it  feeds.  If  the  orange  grower  will  grow  cow-peas 
in  his  grove  and  bury  them  in  trenches  or  holes 
dug  at  the  extremity  of  the  orange  roots,  a  few  days 
after  these  insects  have  commenced  to  feed  upon 
the  peas,  he  can  destroy  them  at  a  most  important 
time.  Both  these  plans  were  adopted  by  the 
writer  during  the  present  year,  and  his  grove  is  now 
quite  clear  of  this  pest. 

When  trees  have  been  damaged  seriously  by 
these  insects  the  knife  and  saw  must  be  freely  used.. 


INSECTS  DAMAGING  ORANGE   TREE.   127 

Cut  away  all  diseased  wood.  Let  the  cutting  be  so 
heavy  that  the  tree  will  start  strong  shoots.  Watch 
these  young  shoots  carefully,  when  the  sun  is 
warm,  for  the  bug  resembling  the  squash-bug. 
Kill  all  that  make  their  appearance.  If  the  extrem- 
ities of  the  shoots  have  been  stung,  pinch  them  back. 
They  cannot  be  saved  if  the  wood  is  very  tender. 
If  blisters  appear  in  the  harder  wood,  puncture  them 
with  a  knife.  It  will  relieve  the  wood,  which  will 
readily  heal,  and  the  branch  will  soon  recover  its 
vigor. 

The  writer  has  allowed  some  trees  to  go  almost 
to  the  last  extremity,  and  brought  them  out  by  fol- 
lowing the  above  plan. 

The  most  effective  insecticide  known  to  the 
author  is  kerosene  and  soap — whale-oil  soap  being 
preferable — but  if  this  is  not  convenient,  common 
washing-soap  is  effective — combined  in  the  propor- 
tions of  six  pounds  of  soap  to  one  gallon  of  kero- 
sene. Bring  the  soap  to  a  boil,  pour  in  the  kerosene 
and  stir  thoroughly  until  the  two  are  fully  com- 
bined. 

This  preparation  can  be  diluted  with  water  to  suit 
the  character  of  the  insects  to  be  exterminated. 

As  an  ordinary  wash,  forty  gallons  of  water  added 
to  the  above  preparation  will  leave  the  solution  suf- 
ficiently strong. 

For  the  red  scale  insect  not  more  than  twenty 
gallons  of  water  should  be  added. 

Some  prefer  an  emulsion  of  kerosene  and  milk 
diluted  with  water. 


CHAPTER   XX. 

DISEASES    TO   WHICH   THE     ORANGE    TREE     AND    FRUIT 
ARE    LIABLE,    AND    THEIR    REMEDIES. 

fEW  fruit  trees  are  less  liable  to  disease  than  the 
orange,  but  the  fruit  and  trees  are  so  valuable 
that  no  enemy  should  be  allowed  to  attack  them 
unopposed.  Perhaps  the  most  formidable  disease 
which  has  yet  made  its  appearance  is  the  ' '  die-back. ' ' 
One  cause  producing  this  disease  has  already 
been  noticed  in  a  preceding  chapter.  The  name 
' '  die-back' '  is  a  general  term,  used  for  want  of  a 
better  and  more  specific  name  or  names,  for  at  least 
two  diseases  arising  from  three  and  perhaps  four 
different  causes.  But  as  it  is  descriptive  of  the 
symptoms  of  one  or  more  diseases  arising  from  sev- 
eral different  causes,  its  meaning  is  readily  com- 
prehended. The  symptom  is  the  dying  back  of  the 
new  wood  to  the  old.  It  is  sometimes  confined  to 
a  few  branches  of  the  tree.  When  this  is  the  case 
the  inference  is  that  it  is  caused  solely  from  the 
sting  of  an  insect.  If,  however,  the  symptom  is 
general  to  the  young  branches,  and  they  come  forth 
feeble  and  yellow  with  no  marks  of  stings,  the 
cause  may  originate  near  the  roots. 

Deep   planting   will   produce   such    symptoms. 


DISEASES  AND    THEIR  REMEDIES.    129 

Trees  do  not  depend  solely  upon  their  leaves  for 
the  supply  of  carbonic  acid.  The  roots  gather  a 
very  considerable  part  of  this  gas,  so  essential  to 
plant  life,  not  in  a  pure  state,  as  is  done  by  the 
leaf,  but  in  chemical  combination  with  other  ele- 
ments. This  is  the  case  especially  with  trees  which 
have  very  yellow  roots.  Such  trees  send  their 
roots  either  into  a  very  porous  soil  easily  penetrated 
by  the  air,  or  else  send  them  near  the  surface,  where 
they  find  a  greater  abundance  of  air,  which  decom- 
poses manure  and  is  essential  to  tne  formation  of 
carbonic  acid.  Such  is  the  case  with  the  orange 
tree  and  roots.  If  the  tree  is  planted  too  deep  or 
the  crust  on  the  top  of  the  soil  has  become  very 
compact,  these  roots,  dependent  upon  air  for  health 
and  ability  to  perform  their  functions,  are  virtually 
smothered.  They  make  an  effort  to  grow,  but  as 
often  as  they  form  rootlets  and  root-hairs,  these  die 
and  convey  no  nutriment  for  the  formation  of  the 
woody  structure  of  young  shoots,  so  the  new  and 
tender  cells,  which  are  but  the  frame-work  of  the 
plant,  perish  for  want  of  support.  And  hence  the 
light  cellular  structure,  in  the  form  of  young  shoots, 
dies  back  as  certainly  as  if  it  had  been  cut  from 
the  older  wood.  I  have  occasionally  dug  up  trees 
so  afflicted  and  found  them  wanting  in  new  roots. 
The  remedy  is  to  reset,  or  else  take  away  the  top 
soil  till  the  lateral  roots  are  brought  near  the  sur- 
face, and  to  keep  the  soil  well  cultivated.  Cut  away 
all  diseased  wood  and  roots.  When  the  extremities 


130      ORANGE   CULTURE  IN  FLORIDA. 

of  roots  of  trees  come  in  contact  With  poisonous 
earth  or  fermenting  manures,  a  similar  symptom  is 
produced,  as  in  planting  upon  hard-pan  or  over  a 
stratum  of  salt  earth. 

Where  moss  appears  on  the  trunks  of  trees,  it  is 
easily  removed  by  any  alkali  wash.  Soap-suds,  or 
what  is  better,  wood-ashes,  will  both  fertilize  and 
cleanse. 

The  cracking  of  the  fruit  is  occasioned  by  any 
suspension  of  the  growth  of  the  fruit,  and  a  conse- 
Qxuent  hardening  of  the  rind,  followed  by  a  sudden 
ilow  of  sap  from  any  stimulating  cause,  as  highly 
fertilizing  a  bearing  grove,  especially  during  sum- 
mer, or  a  wet  spell  following  a  dry.  This  cracking 
is  more  apt  to  follow  the  rains,  if  trees  have  been 
highly  manured  even  in  winter.  This  can  be  pre- 
vented by  keeping  the  ground  well  stirred  during 
dry  weather.  The  soil  thus  stirred  absorbs  moist- 
ure and  keeps  the  fruit  growing. 

Two  other  diseases  have  of  late  years  shown 
themselves  in  Florida,  and  occasioned  great  fear 
and  trouble  among  orange  growers.  One  is  known 
as  the  "foot-rot."  The  symptoms  are  the  decay 
and  sloughing  of  the  bark  around  the  crown  and 
tap-roots  of  the  tree.  I  have  had  no  experience  in 
my  own  grove  with  this  disease,  but  have  watched 
its  effects  in  many  portions  of  the  State.  It  has 
occasioned  much  trouble  and  loss  in  Louisiana, 
from  whose  orange  growers  I  have  had  many  letters 
of  inquiry,  some  of  whom  have  confounded  the  dis- 


DISEASES  AND    THEIR  REMEDIES.    131 

ease  with  another,  presently  to  be  mentioned.  I 
am  convinced  that  this  trouble  is  occasioned  by  one 
general  cause — the  fermenting  of  sap  in  the  vicinity 
of  the  "  rot."  The  sap  of  the  orange  abounds  in 
oil  and  starch,  which,  in  combination  with  watery 
particles,  favor  easy  and  rapid  fermentation,  especial- 
ly when  the  circulation  is  slow.  So  far  as  I  have 
discovered,  this  fermentation  is  induced  mainly 
from  two  causes — first,  fermenting  manures  around 
the  base  of  the  trunk.  Of  course,  this  should  not 
be  allowed.  Second,  stagnant  water  around  the 
roots.  If  water  is  allowed  to  flow  or  drain  slowly 
from  the  ground  it  is  not  likely  to  ferment.  I 
have  known  it  to  flow  for  weeks  above  the  surface 
of  the  ground  with  no  seeming  damage  to  the  trees, 
but  if  allowed  to  stand  on  the  surface,  or  a  little 
below  the  surface,  under  the  influence  of  a  powerful 
sun  fermentation  speedily  sets  in,  and  a  few  weeks 
or  months  thereafter  the  roots  of  the  tree  resting 
therein  begin  to  show  signs  of  decay.  The  first 
symptom  is  a  darkening  of  the  sap,  next  loosening 
of  the  bark  of  the  roots,  and  last  rot  of  bark.  The 
prevention  is,  to  underdrain,  and  keep  the  crown- 
roots  well  exposed  to  air  and  sunlight.  If  under- 
draining  is  impracticablev  carry  off  the  surface  water 
and  keep  the  ground  well  mulched,  that  a  lower 
temperature  may  check  the  tendency  to  fermenta- 
tion. In  localities  where  this  disease  is  troublesome, 
sour  stock,  as  it  is  better  adapted  to  wet  and  acid 
soils,  do  better  than  the  sweet  stock. 


132      ORANGE    CULTURE  IN  FLORIDA. 

The  other  disease  to  which  reference  has  been 
made  is  "  bleeding,"  an  exudation  of  sap,  harden- 
ing into  gum,  from  the  trunk  of  the  tree.  As  this 
trouble  is  more  frequent  after  a  severe  winter,  I  am 
persuaded  it  is  occasioned  by  a  rupture  of  the  sap- 
vessels,  inducing,  as  in  "  foot-rot, ' '  fermentation 
beneath  the  bark,  under  which  the  diseased  sap 
collects,  first  forming  a  blister  and  then  breaking 
through  the  bark,  corroding  and  hardening  into 
gum.  The  remedy  is  to  cut  away  the  diseased 
bark  as  far  as  there  is  any  discoloration  of  sap,  and 
whitewash  the  wound,  or  apply  fresh  cow-dung. 
Thus  treated,  if  the  cutting  has  been  to  the  sound 
bark,  the  wound  soon  heals.  It  is  not  infrequently 
the  case  that  the  bug,  the  same  or  similar  to  the 
one  that  stings  the  deadened  pine  tree,  attracted 
by  the  fermenting  sap,  deposits  its  egg  beneath  the 
bark.  This  egg  develops  into  a  borer  which  feeds 
upon  the  fermenting  wood,  and  may  sometimes  ex- 
tend his  operations  into  the  sound  wood.  But  the 
presence  of  this  borer  is  the  result  and  not  the 
cause  of  the  disease.  When  this  invader  appears 
he  must  be  hunted  and  taken  out  with  the  knife. 
Dead  limbs  or  dead  wood  on  a  tree  will  invite  a 
similar  borer,  which  feeds  on  the  dry  wood  of  either 
the  orange  or  oak,  but  I  have  not  known  of  this 
insect  doing  any  damage  to  the  growing  wood. 


CHAPTER   XXI. 

RUST    ON    THE    ORANGE. 

flJST  has  been  the  cause  of  considerable  annoy- 
ance to  the  growers  of  the  orange  in  Florida. 
f  The  writer  has  for  years  been  engaged  in  experi- 
ments for  the  purpose  of  ascertaining,  first,  the 
cause  of,  and  then  the  remedy  for,  the  rust.  Some 
years  ago  he  reached  the  conclusion  that  the  rust 
was  nothing  more  than  the  oxidized  oil  from  the 
skin  spread  over  the  surface.  This  discovery  was 
first  made  through  the  microscope,  and  afterward 
confirmed  by  chemical  tests.  The  cause  of  exuda- 
tion of  oil  was  first  attributed  to  some  peculiar  con- 
dition of  the  soil.  Different  remedies  were  applied 
with  the  hope  of  getting  rid  of  such  matter  as  would 
produce  an  excess  of  hydrocarbonates.  Among 
other  things,  caustic  lime  was  applied  broadcast 
through  the  orangery.  The  rust  disappeared  for 
two  or  three  years,  and  again  returned.  Eighteen 
months  ago  the  writer's  attention  was  called,  by 
Mr.  W.  C.  Hargrove,  of  Palatka,  to  a  microscopic 
insect  first  noticed  by  Mr.  J.  K.  Gates,  and  believed 
by  them  to  be  the  cause  of  the  rust. 

This  led  me  to  investigate  in  another  direction. 
Knowing  Mr.  William  H.  Ashmead,  of  Jacksonville, 


134      ORANGE   CULTURE  IN  FLORIDA. 

Fla. ,  to  be  investigating  orange  insects,  I  sought  his 
co-operation.  He  found  the  insect  new  to  ento- 
mologists, but  belonging  to  the  order  Acarina,  and 
family  Phytoptidoe.  Mr.  Ashmead  gave  to  the  insect 
the  name  Phytoptus  oleivorous,  or  oil-eating.  He 
has  given  a  very  interesting  chapter  on  the  subject 
in  his  pamphlet  on  "  Orange  Insects."  The  wri- 
ter, during  the  two  summers  last  past,  has  tried 
a  number  of  experiments,  hoping  to  find  a  destroy- 
er of  the  insect  and  a  preventive  of  rust.  He 
found  a  strong  decoction  of  tobacco  with  whale-oil 
soap,  one  pound  to  ten  gallons  of  the  decoction, 
the  most  effective.  This  decoction  was  applied  by 
means  of  a  pump,  forcing  the  liquid  through  a  rose 
nozzle  and  drenching  the  foliage  and  fruit.  The 
application  should  be  made  monthly  during  May, 
June,  and  July,  as  there  are  monthly  generations 
of  the  insect.  The  present  year  I  found  them  at- 
tached to  the  fruit  as  late  as  October.  When  there 
is  no  fruit  on  the  trees  the  insects  attach  them- 
selves to  the  leaves.  Lime,  sown  broadcast  when 
foliage  is  damp,  is  beneficial. 

The  insect  is  microscopic,  and  only  discoverable 
with  the  unaided  eye  when  they  are  in  great  abun- 
dance upon  the  fruit  or  leaves.  Then  the  fruit  and 
leaves  have  the  appearance  of  having  been  slightly 
•dusted  with  the  finest  flour.  I  copy  description 
from  Mr.  Ashmead' s  work  :  "  Whitish  flesh-color, 
elongated  ;  gradually  increasing  in  size  near  the  head 
it  becomes  twice  as  thick  as  posteriorly  ;  abdomen 


RUST  ON   THE   ORANGE.  135 

finely  and  transversely  striate,  apparently  consisting 
of  numerous  very  thin  segments  ;  at  the  extrem- 
ity is  a  biped  appendage  that  evidently  assists  it  in 
clinging  to  the  orange  ;  just  above  it  protrude  two 
caudal  filaments  ;  head  almost  hidden  in  thorax  ; 
four  legs  rather  short  with  one  claw,  a  long  hair 
springing  from  the  knee." 

When  the  insect  attacks  the  orange  before  the 
fruit  is  grown  it  is  dwarfed  in  size  and  blackened  ; 
when  attacked  later,  the  color  is  changed  to  a  dark 
bronze  ;  if  still  later,  to  a  light  bronze.  The  fruit 
is  not  otherwise  damaged  by  the  "rust."  Some 
claim  a  benefit  from  the  rust,  since  "  rusted"  fruit 
keeps  better  and  is  shipped  with  less  damage. 
Such  fruit  is  also  sweeter,  as  the  watery  particles  are 
allowed  to  escape  through  the  punctured  skin  and 
the  saccharine  matter  thus  concentrated.  As  the 
oil  exudes  from  the  punctures  made  by  the  insect 
and  spreads  over  the  surface,  it  hardens  into  a  var- 
nish which  protects  the  fruit  against  atmospheric 
influences. 

The  most  available  time  to  attack  the  rust  insect 
is  during  the  winter,  before  the  trees  have  put  on 
their  new  crop  of  fruit.  At  that  time  the  insect  has 
fastened  itself  to  the  under  side  of  the  leaf.  It  does 
not  transfer  itself  to  the  fruit  until  the  oil-cells  are 
well  formed.  By  lodging  on  the  under  side  of  the 
leaf  it  is  more  difficult  to  attack.  But  if  caustic 
and  well-slaked  lime  is  applied  when  the  leaves  are 
well  dampened  with  dew  (dew  is  better  than  the 


I36      ORANGE   CULTURE  IN  FLORIDA. 

rain,  as  the  rain  does  not  wet  the  under  side  of  the 
leaf)  the  fine  particles  of  lime  adhere  to  the  leaves 
and  destroy  the  insect.  The  application  should  be 
made  from  beneath  the  tree,  the  operator  standing 
near  the  trunk  and  throwing  the  lime  in  handfuls 
up  among  the  branches.  The  same  'rule  should 
be  observed  when  the  tree  is  washed  with  a  decoc- 
tion of  tobacco  and  whale-oil  soap.  It  should  be 
first  syringed  from  beneath  ;  afterward  it  may  be 
showered  from  the  side,  and  thus  by  drenching 
every  part  of  the  tree  insure  a  more  effectual  appli- 
cation and  remedy. 

Another  reason  why  the  application  of  remedies 
should  be  made  in  winter  is,  the  insect  does  not 
seem  to  be  multiplying  during  the  colder  weather. 
It  certainly  is  much  more  active  during  the  warmer 
months.  It  should  be  attacked  when  at  a  disad- 
vantage. Every  tree  in  the  grove  should  be  treat- 
ed, and  if  possible  every  leaf  of  every  tree  in  the 
grove.  What  would  be  better  still,  communities 
ought  to  combine  and  operate  at  the  same  time, 
that  the  enemy  may  be  exterminated.  When  once 
they  have  obtained  a  lodgment  in  a  grove  they  mul- 
tiply very  rapidly  during  a  hot  dry  spell.  An  opin- 
ion prevails  that  wet  weather  increases  the  rust. 
This  is  true  to  a  limited  extent.  The  oil  does  not 
exude  from  the  punctures  made  by  the  insect  till 
it  has  removed  itself  from  the  puncture  or  died. 
As  long  as  it  continues  to  suck  the  oil  the  orange 
does  not  rust.  Should  the  orange  be  stimulated 


XUST   ON    THE    ORANGE.  137 

to  active  circulation  of  sap,  the  pressure  from  within 
induces  a  more  active  flow  of  oil.  Hence  the  rain 
makes  the  show  of  rust  the  more  speedy  by  first 
stimulating  to  an  increased  flow  of  oil  and  then 
hastening  its  oxidizing.  The  rust  does  not  appear 
simultaneously  with  the  insect,  but  follows  its  opera- 
tions. Hot  weather  is  favorable  to  the  development 
of  the  insect,  but  wet  weather  increases  the  show 
of  rust. 

Sulphate  of  lime  I  have  found  to  be  a  specific 
for  the  rust-insect.  Two  applications  should  be 
made  during  the  year,  one  in  the  spring  before  the 
blooming  of  the  trees,  the  other  during  the  month 
of  June.  The  sulphate  of  lime  or  land  plaster 
should  be  applied  while  the  tree  is  wet,  at  the  rate 
of  from  one  to  two  quarts  to  the  tree.  The  whole 
of  the  trunk,  branches,  and  foliage  should  be  well 
dusted. 


CHAPTER   XXII. 

GATHERING,     PACKING,     AND    SHIPPING   THE    ORANGE. 

§N  Europe  these  branches  of  the  business  belong 
to  the  merchant,  and  are  studied  as  an  art.  The 
merchant  buys  the  fruit  on  the  trees  either  in  bulk 
or  by  the  thousand,  counting  1040  as  an  M.  But 
in  this  country,  and  especially  thus  early  in  the  his- 
tory of  orange  growing,  it  is  well  for  the  grower  to 
understand  this  part  of  his  business  so  well  that  he 
can  gather,  pack,  and  ship  his  own  fruit  without  be- 
ing left  to  the  mercy  of  speculators,  many  of  whom 
are  concerned  only  so  far  as  they  may  get  the  great- 
er part  of  the  profits.  Ignorance  of  these  things 
has  already  occasioned  large  annual  loss  both  to 
the  producer  and  buyer.  The  oranges  from  many 
groves  have  generally  been  pulled  off,  the  rinds  of 
many  torn  in  gathering  them  from  the  tree,  and 
these  oranges  piled  into  a  boat  or  cart  and  offered 
in  bulk  upon  the  streets  or  in  the  markets  for  sale. 
They  have  never  been  cured  nor  assorted.  They 
are  in  no  condition  to  be  shipped.  They  cannot 
be  long  kept  in  such  a  condition.  The  huckster  or 
buyer  sees  this,  takes  advantage  of  circumstances, 
sometimes  combining  with  others  of  his  class  to 
put  down  the  price,  picks  out  the  most  indifferent 


GATHERING,  PACKING,  AND  SHIP 


fruit,  and  offers  for  the  whole  a  price  based  upon 
this  inferior  sample.  So  far  as  the  producer  is  con- 
cerned the  fruit  is  sacrificed,  and  especially  if  the 
market  be  full.  The  grower  should  never  put  him- 
self at  the  mercy  of  such  men,  for  even  the  tender 
mercies  of  such  men  are  cruel.  If  the  grower  will 
so  gather,  assort,  and  pack  his  fruit  that  it  will 
keep  for  weeks  or  for  months,  as  may  be  done,  he 
need  not  be  driven  to  such  sacrifices. 

As  the  fruit  of  a  grove  begins  to  ripen,  let  the 
gardener  pass  through,  and,  taking  tree  by  tree,  take 
from  it  all  fruit  that  shows  such  defects  as  will  lead 
him  to  conclude  that  it  will  never  come  to  perfec- 
tion. Let  him  gather  all  specked  fruit.  This  can 
be  done  week  after  week,  always  selecting  the  ripest 
of  such  fruit.  As  such  is  the  first  to  ripen  there  is 
always  a  market  for  it,  and,  rightly  managed,  at  a 
paying  price.  If  such  fruit  is  allowed  to  remain 
on  the  tree  it  will  get  no  better,  and  its  presence 
will  damage  the  fruit  which  should  remain  longer 
on  the  tree.  Before  the  better  oranges  begin  to 
ripen  the  gardener  should  be  well  acquainted  with 
the  quality  of  the  fruit  of  each  tree,  so  that  he  can 
classify  them  according  to  quality  of  flavor,  from  the 
acid  to  the  sweet,  from  the  dry  to  the  juicy,  and 
various  varieties.  In  gathering,  cut  the  stem  close 
to  the  orange,  handle  in  boxes  containing  not  more 
than  75  or  100,  which  boxes  place  on  shelves  in  the 
packing-house  until  the  surplus  moisture  has  escaped 
from  the  rind,  leaving  it  tough  and  pliable.  This 


140      ORANGE    CULTURE  IN  FLORIDA. 

drying  process  will  require  not  more  than  five 
days.  Always  select  a  dry  day  on  which  to  gather 
the  fruit.  When  the  orange  is  thoroughly  ripe — 
during  and  after  January — its  hold  on  the  stem  is 
not  so  tenacious  ;  it  can  then  be  plucked  more  ex- 
peditiously  without  the  aid  of  the  knife,  a  skilful 
hand  with  a  practical  double  jerk  being  able  to 
break  the  stem  in  the  eye  with  no  danger  of  tearing 
the  skin. 

The  boxes  for  packing  should  be  of  light  mate- 
rial, neatly  made,  tolerably  close,  and  hooped.  Di- 
mensions I2x  12x27,  with  partition  in  the  middle. 
In  making  these,  one  side  should  be  left  open.  In 
packing,  the  open  side  should  be  turned  up,  and 
the  box  lined  with  sheets  of  paper  laid  on  the  bot- 
tom and  resting  against  the  side.  Each  orange 
should  be  wrapped  separately  in  tissue-paper  con- 
taining as  little  oil  as  possible,  so  that  it  will  readily 
absorb  and  throw  off  moisture.  The  wrapper 
should  be  careful  to  reject  every  bruised  or  other- 
wise injured  orange.  The  packer  should  be  care- 
ful not  to  put  different  varieties  in  the  same  box. 
The  buyer  should  know  when  he  has  tasted  any  or- 
ange from  a  box  or  brand  that  all  others  of  the  same 
brand  or  box  are  its  equal.  In  packing,  the  or- 
anges should  be  placed  closely  together  in  layers,  so 
that  there  can  be  no  rolling  or  sliding  of  the  fruit 
in  the  box.  The  last  layer  should  project  one 
fourth  of  an  inch  above  the  sides  of  the  box,  so 
that  the  top  when  nailed  on  should  hold  the  layers 


GATHERING,  PACKING,  AND  SHIPPING.  141 

firmly  in  their  places,  even  after  there  has  been 
some  shrinkage  of  the  fruit.  This  is  all-important 
when  the  fruit  is  to  be  transported  a  considerable 
distance,  and  especially  when  transported  by  rail. 
The  box  should  now  be  marked  with  the  number 
of  oranges  and  the  brand  of  the  fruit. 

In  shipping,  water  transportation  should  be  pre- 
ferred to  rail,  especially  during  the  first  part  of  the 
trip,  as  such  transportation  is  not  so  apt  to  jar  and 
rub  the  fruit  as  rail.  When  the  producer  knows  a 
responsible  merchant  who  will  buy  his  fruit  and  sell 
it  by  retail,  it  is  better  for  him  to  make  the  arrange- 
ment with  him  to  furnish  him  oranges  at  a  stipulated 
price  for  each  brand  throughout  the  season.  It 
will  lessen  the  expense  of  a  commission  to  a  third 
party  ;,  besides,  commission  merchants  as  a  class 
have  not  dealt  fairly  with  the  Florida  fruit  and  veg- 
etable grower.  Bad  packing,  poor  transportation, 
and  dishonest  commission  merchants  have  done 
more  to  keep  back  the  progress  of  Florida  and  dis- 
courage fruit  and  vegetable  growing  than  any  other 
three  causes  combined.  And  of  the  three  the  dis- 
honest commission  merchant  has  made  himself  the 
largest  but  the  lowest  of  these  evils:  There  are 
some  honorable  exceptions,  and  such  should  be 
liberally  patronized.  But  it  is  a  vocation  offering 
such  opportunities  for  rascality  and  such  bribes  for 
dishonesty,  it  would  be  well  for  the  producer  to  be 
cautious  as  to  whom  he  makes  consignments. 

Transportation  from   Florida  to  the  North  and 


142      ORANGE   CULTURE  IN  FLORIDA. 

North-west  is  yet  inadequate,  and  the  lines  already 
in  existence  are  badly  managed  ;  many  of  the  offi- 
cers on  these  lines  have  not  done  their  duty  to 
their  employers,  and  they  have  done  much  to  dis- 
courage fruit  and  vegetable  growing  in  Florida. 
This  grave  charge  can  be  proved  by  a  multitude  of, 
facts.  A  few  should  be  mentioned,  to  show  some- 
thing of  their  general  character.  Some  crates  of 
strawberries,  to  be  packed  in  ice  and  destined  for 
New  York,  were  thrown  upon  deck  after  the  man- 
ner of  a  traveller's  trunk.  Remonstrance  was 
made  by  the  owner.  "Got  angel  indar?"  was 
the  ready  re  ply  of  the  deck-hand,  emphasizing  his 
wit  with  an  additional  thump  of  the  crate.  The 
captain  of  the  boat  laughed  at  the  wit  of  the  negro, 
and  left  him  to  repeat  his  damage  and  wit  on  the 
next  victim  who  should  take  the  pains  to  grow  fruit 
for  such  fun.  About  thirty-three  per  cent  of  the 
melons  which  are  shipped  from  the  St.  Johns  to 
New  York  never  reach  their  destination.  There  is 
no  excuse  for  this.  The  watermelon,  well  cared 
for  and  handled,  will  easily  .keep  from  six  to  ten 
days.  A  cargo  of  twenty  thousand  melons  shipped 
from  Fernandina  to  New  York  reached  the  latter 
port  well  cooked.  Unfortunately  it  is  not  the  fash- 
ion to  eat  cooked  melons.  West  and  Middle  Flor- 
ida should  have  direct  communication  with  the 
North-west.  That  beautiful,  rich,  and  attractive 
country  would  in  a  few  years  become  like  the  garr 
den  of  the  Lord.  This  is  a  seeming  digression 


GATHERING,  PACKING,  AND  SHIPPING.  143 

from  orange  culture,  but  it  is  pardonable  ;  for  while 
the  orange  is  riot  so  perishable  as  some  other  things 
needing  transportation,  the  increasing  production 
is  such  as  will  demand,  in  addition  to  semi-weekly 
lines  of  steamers  from  Fernandina  and  Jacksonville 
to  New  York,  a  daily  orange  train  from  Florida  to 
the  North-west. 


CHAPTER   XXIII. 

CROPS   THAT  MAY  BE  GROWN  AMONG  THE   ORANGE 
TREES. 

fHE  question  is  often  asked,  "  How  can  I  make 
a  living  while  the  orange  trees  are  coming 
into  bearing  ?"  The  answer  is,  "  Just  as  you  would 
make  a  living  if  you  were  doing  nothing  else  but 
farming  or  gardening,  or  growing  fruits  that  come  in 
bearing  sooner  than  the  orange. ' '  If  you  are  a 
city  clerk,  and  know  nothing  about  hoeing  and 
plowing  and  chopping,  you  would  find  it  rather 
tough,  for  the  first  year  or  two,  to  make  your  bread 
in  the  valley  of  the  Nile,  or  your  meat  and  bread  in 
the  blue-grass  region  of  Kentucky.  In  either  case 
you  would  have  to  deny  yourself,  for  a  year  or  two, 
of  * '  luxuries' '  dear  to  you,  among  the  most  valued 
of  these,  otium  cum  dignitate.  You  would  have  to 
pull  off  your  coat  and  go  to  work.  You  would 
have  to  consult  the  natives  to  learn  practical  and 
common  sense,  and  you  would  be  surprised  at  the 
profound  depth  of  your  ignorance  of  the  means  of 
making  the  bread  you  have  been  eating  all  your 
life.  But  knowledge,  even  this  humble  knowledge, 
is  good  for  the  soul  and  the  man.  And  you  can 
learn,  and  even  learn  to  love  to  work.  The  sweet 


CROPS  AMONG   ORANGE    TREES.       145 

sleep  and  refreshing  rest  under  the  soothing  ano- 
dyne of  labor  would  come  without  the  learning. 
After  a  while  would  come  the  noble  independence 
of  a  free  man.  Try  it,  young  man,  try  it  !  Come 
from  the  crowded  city  to  the  country  !  Come 
South,  come  to  Florida  !  You  will  regret  it  for 
the  first  year  or  two,  and  apply  hard  names  to  your 
adviser,  think  him  and  his  book  a  great  humbug  ; 
but  if  you  have  the  virtue  of  continuance  you  will 
after  a  while  bless  him  for  the  advice,  and  your 
children  will  bless  you  for  your  wisdom.  But  from 
this  digression  to  the  subject  in  hand. 

It  has  already  been  noticed  that  garden  crops 
may  be  grown  among  the  trees  profitably  to  the 
laborer  and  the  trees.  Grapes  and  figs  can  be 
brought  into  bearing  within  three  years  from  the 
cutting,  and  peaches  in  three  years  from  the  seed. 
Guavas  can  be  grown  under  shade  of  trees  in  the 
latitude  of  St.  Augustine,  and  abundantly  and 
profitably  farther  South.  Plums  do  better  in  Flor- 
ida than  anywhere  I  have  ever  seen  them  grow. 
The  Japan  and  wild-goose  plum  will  bear  transpor- 
tation to  Northern  cities.  They  are  both  excellent 
fruits  and  bring  a  good  price.  Sweet  potatoes  can 
be  grown  in  young  groves.  But  as  they  require 
deep  cultivation  and  to  be  planted  in  ridges,  the 
rows  should  not  run  too  near  the  orange  trees. 
Sugar-cane  can  be  planted  profitably,  but  should 
never  be  planted  among  orange  trees.  The  smaller 
varieties  of  Indian  corn  can  be  profitably  grown 


I46      ORANGE    CULTURE  IN  FLORIDA. 

among  the  orange  trees,  both  for  bread  and  forage. 
It  is  better,  however,  to  grow  it  for  forage,  as  it  is 
not  so  exhaustive  to  land  when  cut  in  a  green  state. 
Indeed  the  names  of  crops  that  may  be  grown  profit- 
ably, if  the  land  is  kept  rich,  is  legion  ;  as  our  cli- 
mate and  soil  will  grow  almost  everything  that  can 
be  grown  in  the  temperate  zone  as  well  as  all  the 
semi-tropical  plants.  Sheep  and  poultry  can  be 
raised  with  great  profit  in  Florida.  In  almost  every 
neighborhood  sheep  will  find  an  excellent  range  in 
the  pine  forest.  They  should  be  penned  at  night 
in  the  grove.  For  this  purpose  a  movable  pen  of 
light  boards  four  inches  wide,  the  sections  of  twenty 
and  sixteen  feet  in  length,  so  that  when  sections 
are  put  together  they  will  be  self-supporting,  is  a 
great  convenience.  The  writer  has  one  such  which 
requires  only  a  few  moments  to  move,  so  that  stock 
penned  can  have  fresh  land  on  which  to  rest  every 
night  or  two.  It  is  a  good  way  to  fertilize  a  grove, 
if  the  pen  is  not  allowed  to  remain  too  long  in  one 
place.  A  similar  arrangement  can  be  had  for  poul- 
try, so  that  they  can  always  be  confined  at  the 
right  spot.  If  too  heavy  to  lift,  they  can  be  made 
to  roll  on  wheels  made  of  sections  of  a  round  log. 


CHAPTER   XXIV. 

OILS,   PERFUMES,    EXTRACTS,    ETC.,   FROM    THE    CITRUS. 

fHE  subjects  mentioned  above  need  to  be  care- 
fully considered  by  the  orange  growers  of 
Florida.  In  Europe  the  manufacture  of  these 
products  of  the  citrus  is  about  equal  in  value  to  the 
exported  fruit.  Essential  oil  is  distilled  from  the 
tender  shoots,  rinds  of  the  fruit,  and  leaves  of  the 
trees.  The  most  delicate  perfumes  and  oils  are 
obtained  from  the  flowers,  especially  from  the  flower 
of  the  wild  orange.  Marmalade  is  made  from  the 
sour  fruit,  citric  acid  and  concentrated  lemon- 
juice  from  the  lemon,  while  the  citron  yields  that 
most  delicate  conserve  bearing  the  same  name,  for 
which  we  pay  high  prices.  Many  of  these  delicate 
and  truly  valuable  products  of  the  orange  can  be 
prepared  on  the  orange  plantation  at  comparatively 
little  cost.  It  would  be  better  if  some  enterprising 
firm  would  locate  at  Jacksonville  or.  some  other  or- 
ange centre,  and  combine  in  one  establishment  all 
these  interests.  There  would  be  no  difficulty  in 
obtaining  ample  material  for  a  large  establishment, 
even  thus  early  in  our  orange  growing.  These 
materials — leaves,  tender  shoots,  flowers,  young 
fruit  dropped,  imperfect  fruit,  and  sour  fruit — would 


148      ORANGE   CULTURE  IN  FLORIDA. 

alone,  if  such  an  establishment  were  erected,  pay  for 
the  cultivation  of  the  grove  and  leave  the  fruit  as  a 
clear  gain. 

Such  a  business  would  be  a  source  of  vast  wealth 
to  the  firm  which  should  engage  in  it  with  sufficient 
capital  and  skill.  These  articles  manufactured  from 
the  citrus  would  be  put  in  a  durable  form  and 
made  ready  for  exportation  to  any  part  of  the  world. 
With  this  profit  added  to  the  profit  arising  from  the 
sale  of  the  fruit,  at  one  cent  for  the  orange  and 
half  a  cent  for  the  lemon,  the  citrus  crop  in  Florida 
alone  could,  in  a  score  of  years,  be  made  to  exceed 
the  value  of  the  entire  cotton  crop  grown  in  the 
South.  Florida  certainly  has  a  bright  future  before 
her  if  her  sons  are  wise  enough  to  labor  for  that 
future.  In  her  broad  acres  there  is  ample  room, 
not  only  for  her  natural  and  adopted  sons,  but  for 
the  hundreds  of  thousands  of  their  fellow-citizens 
to  whom  these  sons  of  Florida  extend  a  hearty  in- 
vitation to  come  and  occupy  with  them  these  broad 
acres,  this  genial  climate,  and  this  vast  wealth, 
enough  for  qJI.  ond  quite  as  good  as  can  be  found 
this  side  of  Heaven. 


CHAPTER   XXV. 

CONCLUSION. 

to  those  who  are  thinking  of  engaging  in  this 
important  branch  of  industry,  I  would  say  a 
few  words  in  concluding.  It  is  evident  that  Florida 
is  destined  to  take  the  lead  as  a  fruit-growing  State. 
Land  is  rapidly  increasing  in  value.  The  sooner 
you  buy  the  better.  But  before  purchasing,  learn 
all  you  can  of  the  different  portions  of  the  State. 
If  possible,  travel  over  it  with  an  eye  to  finding  that 
section  which  will  best  suit  you,  so  that  after  lo- 
cating you  will  never  be  made  to  regret  your  first 
choice.  Each  portion  has  its  advantages.  Middle 
Florida  has  fertile  soils,  and  with  its  rolling  lands 
is  perhaps  the  most  beautiful  section  of  the  State. 
The  orange  has  received  too  little  attention  in  Mid- 
dle Florida.  Those  who  have  made  the  attempt 
with  proper  care  and  protection  have  grown  fine 
oranges  there. 

The  country  through  which  the  St.  Johns  River 
flows,  having  at  once  one  of  the  grandest  streams 
in  America,  and  with  it  ample  facilities  for  transpor- 
tation, has,  as  yet,  attracted  the  most  attention. 
The  eastern  shore  of  this  river,  especially,  is  ad- 


I$o      ORANGE   CULTURE  IN  FLORIDA. 

mirably  adapted  to  the  culture  of  the  orange.  Be- 
ing protected  from  the  severe  north-westerly  winds 
by  this  wide  expanse  of  water,  it  is  as  little  liable  to 
the  injuries  of  frost  as  counties  one  hundred  miles 
farther  south.  The  counties  in  the  lower  portion 
of  the  State  have  generally  fine  lands,  and  grow  the 
orange  successfully. 

Having  settled,  plant  your  grove  of  one  or  more 
acres  ;  let  the  size  be  determined  by  your  means, 
never  undertaking  more  than  you  can  keep  in  the 
highest  state  of  cultivation.  As  to  choosing  be- 
tween the  budded  and  seedling  tree,  decide  as  you 
wish  fruit  sooner  or  later.  A  budded  grove  would 
perhaps  best  suit  a  man  well  advanced  in  age.  If, 
however,  the  seedling  is  your  choice,  make  yourself 
entirely  satisfied  as  to  the  quality  of  the  orange 
from  which  the  seed  were  taken,  and  also  the  re- 
moteness of  the  original  tree  from  trees  bearing 
fruit  of  poor  quality.  Better  plant  the  seed  your- 
self and  wait,  rather  than  have  doubt  on  this  point. 
Keep  the  land. rich  and  thoroughly  tilled.  The  best 
remedy  for  drouth  is  to  have  the  plow  and  cultiva- 
tor or  sweep  continually  going.  It  is  a  great  mis- 
take to  plow  only  with  respect  to  the  grass.  The 
intervals  between  cultivating  should  not  be  so  great 
as  to  give  the  grass  an  opportunity  for  growing. 
Where  the  ground  is  frequently  stirred  there  will  be 
fewer  insects,  their  eggs,  which  are  often  deposited 
in  the  earth,  not  being  permitted  to  hatch.  Examine 
your  trees  often  and  closely.  If  insects  attack  them, 


CONCLUSION,  151 

treat  at  once.  Study  your  soil,  note  what  it  is  de- 
ficient in,  and  supply  the  deficiency. 

Your  grove  having  come  into  bearing,  your  toil 
is  over  and  your  fortune  made.  You  can  now  have 
the  pleasure  of  eating  this  most  healthful  of  fruits 
of  your  own  raising.  An  eminent  physician  has 
said  that  if  each  of  his  patients  would  eat  an  orange 
in  the  morning  before  breakfast,  his  practice  would 
soon  be  gone.  If  France  is  sought  by  the  invalid 
for  the  grape  cure,  Florida  will  be  resorted  to  for 
the  orange  cure  as  well  as  for  its  unrivalled  climate. 

Do  not  be  afraid  of  glutting  the  market  with 
the  orange  ;  it  can  never  be  done.  There  are  thou- 
sands of  persons  who  have  never  seen  an  orange, 
and  many  more  who  have  to  pay  exorbitant  prices 
for  them  where  they  are  rarely  seen.  If  there  is  a 
supply  the  demand  will  be  created.  When  Florida's 
oranges  are  counted  by  the  hundred  million  she 
will  have  adequate  means  for  transporting  them  to 
the  best  markets  and  to  all  markets,  without  a  doubt. 
The  people  of  this  country  know  very  little  about 
eating  the  orange.  They  have  not  yet  acquired  a 
taste  for  this  queen  of  all  fruits. 

If  the  orange  growers  of  Europe  find  it  profitable 
to  send  their  indifferent  fruit  to  us,  after  having  to 
pay  a  tariff  (for  which  we  are  indebted  to  General 
Sanford  of  this  State),  how  much  better  can  we 
afford  to  sell  at  home,  even  for  the  same  price. 

The  above-named  gentleman,  after  his  tour 
through  the  orange- growning  portions  of  Europe, 


152      ORANGE   CULTURE  IN  FLORIDA. 

states  that  they  claim  to  be  able  to  raise  the  orange 
profitably  when  getting  only  one  dollar  per  thou- 
sand, their  average  price  now  being  about  three 
dollars  per  thousand.  Is  there  any  probability  of 
the  luscious  Florida  orange  being  reduced  to  this 
price,  even  if  her  market  be  restricted  to  the  limits 
of  America  ?  But  the  day  is  not  far  distant  when 
our  oranges  will  be  found  on  the  tables  of  the  rich 
in  Europe  in  preference  to  the  inferior  fruit  they 
now  get  there. 

The  orange  grower  should  not  be  contented  with 
his  present  knowledge.  This  is  a  progressive  age  ; 
orange  culture  is  in  its  infancy.  If  we  would  keep 
well  posted  we  should  study  our*  vocation  no  less 
diligently  than  others  do  theirs.  The  papers  of  the 
State  have  done  much  good  in  this  direction,  giv- 
ing the  successes  and  results  of  experiments  of  dif- 
ferent men.  Every  orange  grower  should  take  the 
paper  published  in  his  own  section  ;  these  papers 
should  have  a  department  devoted  specially  to  fruit 
growers,  who  should  make  it  a  repository  for  mutual 
information. 

Finally,  to  be  successful,  the  fruit  grower  must 
watch  and  work  ;  but  not  always,  for  soon  golden 
harvests  may  be  had  for  the  gathering. 


APPENDIX. 

GALLESIO    ON    THE     ORANGE. 

fN  his  valuable  and  standard  work  on  "  The 
Citrus  Family,"  which  I  have  already  quoted 
from  several  times  in  the  preceding  pages,  Gallesio 
gives  the  following  highly  interesting  account  of 
the  origin  of  the  orange  and  its  introduction  into 
Europe  : 

The  orange  and  lemon  tree  were  unknown  to 
the  Romans  ;  therefore  they  could  only  have  been 
indigenous  in  a  country  where  this  great  people 
had  never  penetrated.  We  all  know  the  vast  ex- 
tent of  this  empire,  yet  commercial  relations  ex- 
tend themselves  always  far  beyond  political  bounds. 
If  these  trees  had  been  cultivated  in  places  open 
to  the  traffic  of  the  Romans,  these  fruits  would 
have  become  at  once  the  delight  of  the  tables  of 
Rome,  given  up  to  luxury.  They  could  not, 
then,  have  been  cultivated  at  this  perk>d,  except  in 
the  remote  parts  of  India,  beyond  the  Ganges. 
The  north  of  Europe  and  of  Asia,  it  is  true,  were 
equally  unknown  to  the  Romans,  but  their  climates 
were  not  at  all  suited  to  these  plants.  The  interior 
and  west  coasts  of  Africa,  although  in  great  part 
deserts,  and  destitute  of  the  moisture  necessary  to 


154      ORANGE   CULTURE  IN  FLORIDA. 

the  orange,  inclosed,  nevertheless,  fertile  districts 
where  it  might  have  thriven.  But  the  state  of  cul- 
ture of  the  tree  at  the  present  time  in  that  country, 
and  the  historic  facts  proving  to  us  that  it  was  not 
naturalized  there  till  long  after,  make  us  certain 
that  it  was  entirely  unknown  there  as  well  as  in 
Europe.  It  is  true,  that  at  the  time  of  the  dis- 
covery of  the  Cape -of  Good  Hope,  the  Portuguese 
found  many  citrons  and  bigarades  upon  the  eastern 
coast  of  Africa,  and  in  the  part  of  Ethiopia  where 
Romans  had  never  penetrated  ;  but  they  found  these 
trees  only  in  gardens,  and  in  a  state  of  domesticity, 
and  we  do  not  know  but  that  the  Arabs,  who  had 
cultivated  them  in  Egypt,  in  Syria,  and  in  Barbary, 
had  penetrated  into  these  countries  in  the  first  years 
of  their  conquests.  There  remains,  then,  for  us 
only  to  seek  the  native  country  of  the  orange  in 
Southern  Asia — that  is  to  say,  in  those  vast  coun- 
tries known  under  the  general  name  of  East  Indies. 
But  these  regions  were  in  part  known  to  the 
Romans,  who,  since  the  discovery  of  the  monsoons, 
made  by  Hippalus,  carried  their  maritime  com- 
merce as  far  as  Muziro  (Massera,  an  island  off  the 
south-east  coast  of  Arabia),  by  way  of  the  Red  Sea, 
the  navigation  of  which  employed  a  great  number 
of  vessels,  and  whose  commerce,  according  to 
Pliny,  should  have  been  valued  at  fifty  million 
sesterces  ($2,000,000)  per  annum.  Their  fleets 
had  penetrated  even  to  Portum  Gebenitarum, 
which  appears  to  have  been  the  present  Ceylon  ; 


APPENDIX.  155 

and,  although  these  voyages  cost  them  five  years  of 
fatigue  and  danger,  nevertheless  the  thirst  for  gold 
and  luxury  of  Rome  had  multiplied  to  the  last  de- 
gree the  vessels  engaged  in  this  trade.  We  must 
believe,  then,  that  the  lemon  and  orange  did  not 
exist  in  all  that  part  of  the  country  this  side  of  the 
Indus,  and  perhaps  not  even  in  all  the  part  lying 
between  that  river  and  the  Ganges  ;  otherwise  these 
fruits  would  have  been  extolled  by  the  Roman 
merchants,  where  the  citron  was  so  much  valued  ; 
and  we  should  find  at  least  some  mention  made  of 
them  in  narratives  and  voyages  descended  to  us 
from  those  ancient  times.  If  we  consult  the  de- 
scription of  the  coasts  of  India,  from  the  river  In- 
dus to  the  Euphrates,  which  we  have  in  the  voyage 
of  Nearchus,  one  of  Alexander's  captains  ;  that  cf 
the  Troglodytes,  and  coasts  of  the  Indian  Sea,  by 
Arianus,  the  voyage  of  lambolus,  reported  by  Dio- 
dorus  of  Sicily,  where  he  gives  a  description  of  an 
isle  of  the  Indian  Sea  unknown  before  him,  where 
he  had  been  thrown  by  a  storm  ;  or,  finally,  the 
Indian  voyage  of  Pliny — we  find  not  the  least  in- 
dication of  either  orange,  or  even  citron  ;  yet 
Nearchus  carefully  notes  the  plants  found  in  his 
course,  and  speaks  of  palms,  myrtles,  and  vines  ;  of 
wheat,  and  generally  of  all  the  trees  of  Asia  except 
the  olive.  Arianus  enlarges  upon  the  vegetable 
productions  of  those  districts,  giving  the  descriptions 
of  those  found  in  public  roads. 

lambolus  saw  in  the  unknown  island,  which  ap- 


156      ORANGE   CULTURE  IN  FLORIDA. 

pears  to  have  been  Sumatra,  a  grain  that  we  recog- 
nize as  maize,  which  has  been  introduced  into 
Europe  since  the  passage  round  the  Cape  of  Good 
Hope.  We  must  then  admit  that  the  lemon  and 
orange  trees  could  not  have  originated  but  in  the 
region  beyond  the  Ganges,  and  that,  in  early  cen- 
turies of  the  empires  of  the  Caesars,  they  had  not 
yet  been  brought  from  those  climates  where  they 
were  indigenous.  They  increased  perhaps  still 
without  culture  in  the  midst  of  the  woods,  the  hand 
of  man  not  having  yet  appropriated  them  as  orna- 
ments for  his  garden.  But  this  event  could  not 
long  be  delayed.  The  beauty  of  the  tree,  and  the 
facility  with  which  it  reproduced  itself,  would 
naturally  extend  the  culture  to  adjoining  provinces, 
and  the  European,  quick  to  seize  the  productions 
of  all  the  rest  of  the  globe,  would  not  fail  to  enrich 
himself  from  these  regions. 

Facts  prove  that  this  result  has  been  reached,  but 
we  know  not  the  date  of  passage,  or  the  circum- 
stances favoring  it.  We  will  now  make  this  the 
object  of  our  researches.  The  Romans,  at  the  time 
of  Pliny,  had  extended  their  commerce  on  the  side 
of  India  as  far  as  it  was  ever  carried  during  the 
empire  ;  the  power  of  Rome,  instead  of  increasing, 
only  became  weaker  from  this  period  ;  and  the  fall 
of  the  Western  portion  was  accompanied  in  Europe 
by  the  decay  of  letters,  art,  agriculture,  and  com- 
merce. In  this  general  overturn,  the  Greeks  pre- 
served, it  is  true,  with  a  taste  for  arts  and  luxury, 


APPENDIX.  157 

some  relations  with  India,  but  trade  with  those 
countries  had  never  taken  other  course  than  by  way 
of  the  Red  Sea,  and  this  was  closed  from  the  seventh 
century  by  the  Arabian  invasion  of  Egypt,  which 
soon  followed  the  invasion  of  Arabia  by  the  bar- 
barians of  the  west  (Ethiopians). 

The  commerce  of  these  rich  lands  must  then 
have  taken  a  much  longer  and  more  dangerous 
route.  The  traders  were  obliged,  after  going  down 
the  Indus,  to  reascend  that  stream,  and  by  the 
Bactrea  (Bolkh)  to  reach  the  Oxus,  and  finally, 
by  the  last  pass  into  the  Caspian  Sea,  from  whence 
they  went  into  the  Black  Sea  by  the  river  Don. 
But  this  long  and  dangerous  voyage  was  never  un- 
dertaken by  the  traders  of  Constantinople  ;  they 
would  not  have  been  able  to  traverse  with  safety 
such  an  extent  of  country,  partly  a  desert,  and  in 
part  inhabited  by  wandering  tribes,  most  of  them 
nations  with  whom  they  were  nearly  always  at  war, 
who  were  destined  in  the  end  to  swallow  the  Greek 
Empire. 

They  therefore  limited  themselves  to  receiving 
upon  the  borders  of  the  Caspian  Sea  the  mer- 
chandise of  India,  brought  to  them  by  intermediate 
people.  One  can  scarcely  realize  that  in  such  a 
state  of  affairs  the  orange  tree  could  pass  intc 
Europe,  for  this  beautiful  part  of  the  world  had 
never  been  in  so  general  disorder  or  had  so  little 
intercourse  with  India.  Her  luxury  and  commerce 
were  nearly  annihilated,  and  the  Arabians,  whom 


158      ORANGE   CULTURE  IN  FLORIDA. 

the  new  religion  of  Mahomet  rendered  fanatics  and 
conquerors,  menaced  on  one  side  the  tottering  em- 
pire of  the  Greeks,  and  on  the  other  threatened  to 
plunge  into  barbarism  the  West,  just  beginning  to 
be  civilized.  Yet  it  was  precisely  at  this  point  of 
time,  and  by  the  conquering  spirit  of  this  people, 
that  the  great  changes  were  prepared  which  should 
revive  and  extend  farther  than  ever  before  the  com- 
mercial relations  of  Europe  with  Asia,  and  of  Asia 
herself  with  the  more  distant  regions  of  her  own 
continent. 

The  Arabs,  placed  in  a  country  which  binds 
together  three  grand  divisions  of  the  globe,  have 
extended  their  conquests  into  Asia  and  Africa  much 
farther  than  any  people  before  them.  Masters 
of  the  Red  Sea  and  Mediterranean,  they  had  in- 
vaded all  the  African  Coast  this  side  of  Atlas 

'  > 

and  penetrated  beyond  to  the  region  of  the  Trog- 
lodytes (Ethiopians  living  in  caves),  the  ancient 
limit  of  the  Roman  establishments  on  the  east 
coast  of  this  continent  ;  they  had  made  settlements 
there,  and  according  to  the  testimony  of  a  historian 
of  the  country,  cited  by  Barros,  they  had  populated 
in  the  fourth  century  of  the  Hegira  (A.D.  944)  the 
towns  of  Brava,  Mombas,  and  Quiloa,  whence  they 
extended  themselves  to  Sofalo,  Melinda,  and  to  the 
islands  of  Bemba,  Zanzibar,  Monfra,  Comoro,  and 
St.  Laurent  On  the  side  of  Asia  they  had  carried 
their  conquests,  in  the  third  century  of  the  Hegira, 
to  the  extremities  of  the  Relnahar,  and  toward  the 


APPENDIX.  159 

middle  of  the  fourth  century,  under  the  Selucidae, 
they  had  established  a  colony  at  Kashgar,  the  usual 
route  of  caravans  to  Toorkistan  or  to  China,  and 
which,  according  to  Albufeda  (a  geographer  and 
historian  of  Damascus),  is  situated  in  longitude  87° 
(73°  57')'  consequently  they  had  penetrated  very 
far  into  Asia. 

Never  had  there  been  in  Asia  an  empire  so  vast, 
and  never  had  the  commerce  of  nations  so  near 
Europe  been  pushed  so  far  into  India. 

A  position  thus  advantageous  and  favorable  to  the 
commercial  spirit  and  love  of  luxury  which  succeed- 
ed, among  the  Arabs,  the  fury  of  conquest,  would 
naturally  cause  them  to  learn  of  and  to  appropriate 
many  exotic  plants  peculiar  to  the  regions  they  had 
conquered,  or  to  the  adjoining  countries.  Fond  of 
medicine  and  agriculture,  in  which  they  have 
specially  excelled,  and  of  the  pleasures  of  the  open 
country,  in  which  they  have  always  delighted,  they 
continued  to  profit  with  eagerness  from  the  advan- 
tages offered  by  their  settlements,  and  the  hot  cli- 
mates which  they  inhabited.  Indeed,  it  is  to  them 
that  we  owe  the  knowledge  of  many  plants,  perfumes, 
and  Oriental  aromatics,  such  as  musk,  nutmegs, 
mace,  and  cloves. 

It  was  the  Arabs  who  naturalized,  in  Spain,  Sar- 
dinia, and  Sicily,  the  cotton-tree  of  Africa  and  the 
sugar-cane  of  India  ;  and  in  their  medicines  we  for 
the  first  time  hear  of  the  chemical  change  known 
as  distillation,  which  appears  to  have  originated  in 


160      ORANGE   CULTURE  IN  FLORIDA. 

the  desire  to  steal  from  nature  the  perfumes  of 
flowers  and  aroma  of  fruits. 

It  is  then  not  surprising  that  we  are  indebted  to 
them  for  the  acclimatization  of  the  orange  and 
lemon  trees  in  Syria,  Africa,  and  some  European 
islands.  It  is  certain  that  the  orange  was  known  to 
their  physicians  from  the  commencement  of  the 
fourth  century  of  the  Hegira.  The  Damascene  has 
given  in  his  Antidotary  the  recipe  for  making  oil 
with  oranges,  and  their  seeds  (oleum  de  dtrangula,  et 
oleum  de  citrangulorum  seminibus.  Mat.  Silv. ,  f.  58), 
and  Avicenna,  who  died  in  428  of  the.  Hegira 
(1050),  has  added  the  juice  of  the  bigarade  to  his 
syrup  of  alkedere  et  sued  acetositatus  citri  (otrodj),  et 
sued  acetositatis  dlranguli  (narendg)."  These  two 
Arabians  seem  to  have  first  employed  it  in  medicine. 

I  have  examined  with  care  the  authors  of  this 
nation  who  preceded  these,  and  find  in  no  other  the 
least  hint  relating  to  these  species.  Mesue,  even, 
who  speaks  of  the  citron,  says  not  a  word  of  orange 
or  lemon.  I  have  observed,  on  the  contrary,  that 
Avicenna,  in  giving  his  recipe  for  making  syrup  of 
alkedere,  in  which  he  puts  juice  of  the  bigarade, 
announces  it  as  a  composition  of  his  own  invention. 
This  circumstance  would  indicate  that  this  fruit  had 
been  known  but  a  short  time  in  Persia,  but  it 
suffices  that  it  was  cultivated  there  to  prove  that  it 
might,  at  once,  pass  into  Irak  (probably  Irak- 
Arabee,  in  Asiatic  Turkey,  comprising  Bagdad), 
and  into  Syria. 


APPENDIX.  16 1 

These  countries,  which  joined,  were  also  con- 
nected by  political  ties,  which  facilitate  communica- 
tion, and  their  inhabitants  were  more  civilized  then 
than  before  or  since.  A  passage  by  Massoudi,  re- 
ported by  the  learned  M.  de  Sacy  in  the  notes  to  his 
translation  of  Abd-Allatif,  a  writer  of  the  twelfth 
century  of  our  era,  seems  to  confirm  our  ideas  upon 
this  subject,  and  to  determine  the  date  of  this  event. 
It  accords  with  all  the  data  just  given,  and  with  his- 
toric facts  that  we  have  collected.  He  expresses 
himself  thus  :  ' '  The  round  citron  oircdj  modawar 
was  brought  from  India  since  the  year  300  of  the 
Hegira.  It  was  first  sowed  in  Oman  (part  of 
Arabia),  from  thence  carried  to  Irak  (part  of  Old 
Persia)  and  Syria,  becoming  very  common  in  the 
houses  of  Tarsus  and  other  frontier  cities  of  Syria, 
at  Antioch,  upon  the  coasts  of  Syria,  in  Palestine, 
and  in  Egypt.  One  knew  it  not  before,  but  it  lost 
much  of  the  sweet  odor  and  fine  color  which  it  had 
in  India,  because  it  had  not  the  same  climate,  soil, 
and  all  that  which  is  peculiar  to  that  country." 
The  lemon  appeared  perhaps  a  little  later  in  these 
different  countries,  for  we  see  no  mention  of  it  either 
in  the  Damascene  or  in  Avicenna,  but  its  descrip- 
tion meets  our  eye  in  all  the  works  of  Arabian 
writers  of  the  twelfth  century,  especially  Ebn-Beitar, 
who  has  given  to  it  an  article  in  his  dictionary  of 
simple  remedies.  The  Latin  translation  of  this 
article  was  published  in  Paris  in  1702  by  Andres 


1 62      ORANGE   CULTURE  IN  FLORIDA. 

Balunense.  The  Imperial  Library  contains  several 
manuscripts  of  this  dictionary. 

I  had  thought  to  have  found  proof  that  the  lemon 
was  known  by  the  Arabs  in  the  ninth  century,  hav- 
ing seen  in  a  history  of  India  and  China,  dated  238 
of  the  Hegira  (A.D.  860),  of  which  a  French  transla- 
tion was  printed  in  Paris  in  1718,  the  writers  had 
spoken  of  the  lemon  as  a  fruit  found  in  China. 
But  M.  de  Sacy,  who  examined  the  original, 
ascertained  that  the  word  Union  was  inserted  by  the 
translator.  In  the  Arabian  text  one  finds  only  that 
of  otrodj,  which  signifies  merely  citron.  Thereiore 
this  history,  far  from  proving  that  the  Arabs  knew 
the  lemon  tree  at  this  period,  proves  quite  the  con- 
trary. It  was  not  until  the  tenth  century  of  our  era 
that  this  warlike  people  enriched  with  these  trees  the 
garden  of  Oman  (in  South-eastern  Arabia),  whence 
they  were  propagated  in  Palestine  and  Egypt.  From 
these  countries  they  passed  into  Barbary  and  Spain, 
perhaps  also  into  Sicily. 

Leon  of  Ostia  tells  us  that  in  1002  a  prince  of 
Salerna  presented  citrine  apples  (poma  dlrina]  to  the 
Norman  princes  who  had  rescued  him  from  the 
Saracens. 

The  expression  poma  citrina,  used  by  this  author, 
appears  to  me  to  designate  fruit  like  the  citron  rather 
than  the  citron  itself,  then  known  under  the  name 
of  citri,  or  of  mala  medica. 

It  is  thus  that  we  should  recognize  the  orange  in 
the  citron  rond  spoken  of  by  Massoudi  in  a  passage 


APPENDIX.  163 

already  quoted.  This  conjecture  accorded  with 
known  events  and  data.  The  Arabs  invaded  Sicily 
about  the  beginning  of  the  ninth  century  (828),  the 
orange  was  taken  from  India  to  Arabia  after  the 
year  300  of  the  Hegira — that  is  to  say,  early  in  the 
ninth  century  of  our  era.  The  citrine  apples  of 
Leon  d'Ostia  dates  from  1002,  and  were  regarded 
as  objects  rare  and  precious  enough  to  be  offered  as 
gifts  to  princes.  Thus  we  have  between  its  intro- 
duction into  Arabia  and  propagation  in  Sicily  an 
interval  of  nearly  a  century.  In  order  to  conform 
to  the  expression  of  Massoudi,  let  us  suppose  that 
the  orange  tree  was  brought  from  Arabia  some  thirty 
or  forty  years  later — say  about  330  of  Hegira.  If 
we  allow  fifty  years  for  its  propagation  in  Palestine, 
Egypt,  and  Barbary,  and  finally  twenty  years  for  its 
naturalization  in  Sicily,  we  fill  precisely  the  interval 
between  one  epoch  and  the  other. 

A  passage  in  the  history  of  Sicily,  by  Nicolas 
Specialis,  written  in  the  fourteenth  century,  gives 
still  more  probability  to  this  opinion. 

This  writer,  in  recounting  the  devastation  by  the 
army  of  the  Duke  of  Calabria  in  1383,  in  the 
vicinity  of  Palermo,  says  that  it  did  not  spare  even 
the  trees  of  sour  apples  pommes  acidesy  called  by  the 
people  arangt,  which  had  adorned  since  old  time, 
the  royal  palace  of  Cubba.  (Nicolas  Specialis,  bk. 

7,  c.  17.) 

The  name  Cubba  given  to  this  royal  pleasure- 
house  seems  to  refer  to  the  time  of  the  Arabic  rule  ; 


164      ORANGE   CULTURE  IN  FLORIDA. 

it  is  probably  derived  from  the  Arabic  word  Cobbah, 
meaning  vault  or  arch  ;  perhaps  some  grand  dome 
upon  this  country-house  gave  the  place  its  name. 

These  data,  however,  do  not  appear  to  me 
sufficiently  strong  to  combat  the  authority  of  a  very 
reliable  historian,  who  says  expressly  that  the  lemon 
and  the  orange  trees  were  not  known  in  Italy  or 
France  or  in  other  parts  of  Christian  Europe  in  the 
eleventh  century.  Such  are  the  words  of  Jacques 
de  Vitry,  in  speaking  of  Syrian  trees  in  his  history 
of  Jerusalem.  The  testimony  of  this  bishop,  who 
ought  to  have  known  these  countries,  would  appear 
to  have  more  weight  than  simple  conjectures  based 
upon  reasonings  from  analogy.  Whatever  be  the 
authority  of  this  historian,  compared  with  the  pre- 
sumptions advanced  by  us  with  regard  to  Sicily,  it 
will  always  be  decisive  respecting  Lake  Garda  and 
the  coasts  of  Liguria  and  Provence. 

There  is  not  a  doubt  that  in  these  last-named 
countries  the  lemon  and  orange  were  unknown, 
not  only  in  the  tenth  but  even  in  the  eleventh  cen- 
tury. But  an  extraordinary  event,  destined  to 
change  the  face  of  Europe,  was  to  open  anew  to  the 
people  of  the  West  the  entrance  to  Syria  and  Paless- 
tine.  This  was  also  the  time  when  the  Crusades, 
which  began  at  the  close  of  the  eleventh  century 
(1096),  reawakened  among  Europeans  the  spirit  of 
commerce  and  a  taste  for  arts  and  luxury. 

The  Crusaders  entered  Asia  Minor  as  conquerors, 
and  thence  spread  themselves  as  traders  into  all 


APPENDIX.  165 

parts  of  Asia.  They  were  not  mere  soldiers,  but 
brave  men  drawn  from  their  families  by  religious 
enthusiasm,  and  who,  in  consequence,  would  hold 
fast  to  their  country  and  their  homes.  They  could 
not  see  without  coveting  these  charming  trees  which 
embellished  the  vicinity  of  Jerusalem,  with  whose 
exquisite  fruits  nature  has  favored  the  climates  of 
Asia. 

It  was,  indeed,  at  this  time  that  Europe  enriched 
its  orchards  by  many  of  these  trees,  and  that  the 
French  princes  carried  into  their  country  the  dam- 
son, the  St.  Catharine  (a  pear),  the  apricot  from  Alex- 
andria, and  other  species  indigenous  to  those  regions. 

Sicilians,  Genoese,  and  Provincials  transported  to 
Salerno,  St.  Remo,  and  Hyeres  the  lemon  and 
orange  trees.  Hear  what  a  historian  of  the  thir- 
teenth century  says  to  us  on  this  subject ;  he  had 
been  in  Palestine  with  the  Crusaders,  and  his  word 
should  have  great  weight. 

Jacques  de  Vitry  expressed  himself  thus  :  "  Be- 
sides many  trees  cultivated  in  Italy,  Genoa,  France, 
and  other  parts  of  Europe,  we  find  here  (in  Pales- 
tine) species  peculiar  to  the  country,  and  of  which 
some  are  sterile  and  others  bear  fruit.  Here  are 
trees  bearing  very  beautiful  apples — the  color  of 
the  citron — upon  which  is  distinctly  seen  the  mark 
of  a  man's  tooth.  This  has  given  them  the  com- 
mon name  of  pomme  d'  Adam  (Adam's  apple)  ; 
others  produce  sour  fruit,  of  a  disagreeable  taste 
(ponh'ci),  which  are  called  h'mons.  Their  juice  is 


1 66      ORANGE   CULTURE  IN  FLORIDA. 

used  for  seasoning  food,  because  it  is  cool,  pricks 
the  palate,  and  provokes  appetite.  We  also  see 
cedars  of  Lebanon,  very  fine  and  tall,  but  sterile. 
There  is  a  species  of  cedar  called  cedre  maritime, 
whose  plant  is  small  but  productive,  giving  very 
fine  fruits,  as  large  as  a  man's  head.  Some  call 
them  citrons,  or  pommes  citrons.  Thesje  fruits  are 
formed  of  a  triple  substance,  and  have  three  differ- 
ent tastes.  The  first  is  warm,  the  second  is  tem- 
perate, the  last  is  cold.  Some  say  that  this  is  the 
fruit  of  which  God  commanded  in  Leviticus : 
4  Take  you  the  first  day  of  the  year  the  fruit  of  the 
finest  tree. '  We  see  in  this  country  another  species 
of  citrine  apples,  borne  by  small  trees,  and  of  which 
the  cool  part  is  less  and  of  a  disagreeable  and  acid 
taste  ;  these  the  natives  call  orenges." 

Behold,  then,  the  Adam's  apple,  the  lemon,  the 
citron,  and  the  bigarade  found  in  Palestine  by  the 
Crusaders,  and  regarded  as  new  trees  foreign  to 
Europe ! 

This  passage  does  not  accord,  as  far  as  the  citron 
is  concerned,  with  what  Palladius  says.  He  tells 
us  that  this  plant  was,  in  his  time,  cultivated  in 
Sardinia  and  in  Sicily.  But  we  see,  by  Jacques  de 
Vitry,  that  the  citron  of  Palestine  was  distinguished 
by  the  extraordinary  size  of  its  fruit,  equal  to  a 
man's  head,  and  it  must  be  that  this  last  was  a 
variety  unknown  to  Europe. 

It  is,  indeed,  only  since  this  epoch  that  we  find 
in  European  historians  and  writers  upon  agriculture 


APPENDIX.  167 

any  mention  of  these  trees.  Doubtless  the  Arabians 
had  already  naturalized  them  in  Africa  and  Spain, 
where  the  temperature  favored  so  much  their  growth. 
Doubtless  Liguria  is  the  part  of  Italy  where  the  cul- 
ture of  the  Agrumi  has  made  most  progress.  We 
have  certain  testimony  to  this  in  the  work  of  a  doc- 
tor of  medicine  of  Mantua,  writing  near  the  middle 
of  the  thirteenth  century.  He  says  : 

"  The  lemon  is  one  of  the  species  of  citrine 
apples,  which  are  four  in  number.  First,  citron. 
Secondly,  orange  (ciirangulum\  of  which  we  have 
spoken  before.  Thirdly,  the  lemon.  Fourthly, 
the  fruit  vulgarly  called  lima.  These  four  species 
are  very  well  known,  principally  in  Liguria.  The 
lemon  is  a  handsome  fruit,  of  fine  odor.  Its  form 
is  more  oblong  than  that  of  the  orange,  and, 'like 
the  orange,  it  is  full  of  a  sharp  acid  juice,  very 
proper  for  seasoning  meats.  They  make  of  its 
flowers  odoriferous  waters,  fit  for  the  use  of  the 
luxurious. 

;  *  The  trees  of  these  four  species  are  very  similar, 
and  all  are  thorned.  The  leaves  of  the  citron  and 
lime  are  larger  and  less  deeply  colored  than  those 
of  the  orange  or  lemon.  The  lemon  is  composed 
of  four  different  substances,  as  well  as  the  citron, 
lime,  and  orange.  It  has  an  outer  skin,  not  as  deep 
in  color  as  that  of  the  orange,  but  which  has  more  of 
the  white.  It  is  hot  and  biting  ;  thus  it  shows  its 
bitter  taste.  The  second  skin  or  pith,  between  the 
outer  skin  and  the  juice,  is  white,  cold,  and  difficult 


1 68      ORANGE   CULTURE  IN  FLORIDA. 

to  digest.  The  third  substance  is  its  juice,  which  is 
sharp  and  of  a  strong  acid,  which  will  expel  worms, 
and  is  very  cold.  The  fourth  is  the  seed,  which, 
like  that  of  the  orange,  is  warm,  dry,  and  bitter. ' ' 
(See  Mat.  Silv.,  "  Pandecta  Medicinae,"  fol.  125.) 

This  testimony  of  Silvaticus  is  strengthened  by  all 
the  authors  who  have  written  upon  the  citrus.  There 
is  not  one  but  is  convinced  that  these  trees  were  for 
a  long  time  very  rare  in  Italy  and  in  France,  and 
that  Liguria  alone  has  traded  in  them  since  they 
were  first  known  there.  Sicily  and  the  kingdom 
of  Naples  cultivated,  perhaps  before  the  Ligurians, 
the  citron  and  orange  trees  ;  but  in  spite  of  the  ad- 
vantages of  climate,  it  was  only  as  objects  of  curi- 
osity, limited  to  some  delightful  spots.  This  fact 
is  established  by  the  manner  in  which  most  writers 
of  the  twelfth  century  express  themselves  on  this 
subject.  Hugo  Falcandus,  who  wrote  of  the  ex- 
ploits of  the  Normans  in  Sicily,  from  1145  to  1169, 
saw  there  lumies  and  Grangers,  and  points  them  out 
as  singular  plants,  whose  culture  was  still  very  rare. 
(Hugo  Falcandus.  See  Muratori,  Rerum  Italica- 
rum  Scriptores.) 

Ebn-al-Awam,  an  Arabian  writer  upon  agricul- 
ture at  Seville,  near  the  end  of  the  twelfth  century, 
and  whose  work,  translated  into  Spanish,  was  pub- 
lished at  Madrid  in  1802,  speaks  as  if  the  culture 
were  very  much  extended  in  Spain.  Abd-Allatif, 
who  was  contemporary  with  the  last-named  author, 
expresses  himself  in  like  manner,  and  describes  also 


APPENDIX.  1^69 

a  number  of  varieties  cultivated  in  his  time  in  Egypt 
— a  circumstance  showing  that  these  trees  had 
greatly  multiplied.  '  Their  progress  was  slower  in 
Italy  and  France.  It  appears  that  the  lemon  tree, 
brought  first  into  these  parts  as  a  variety  of  citron, 
was  for  a  long  time  designated  by  European  writers 
under  the  generic  name  of  citrus,  although  in  Italy 
and  the  South  of  France  the  people  had  known  it 
from  the  beginning  under  the  proper  name  of  limon 
— a  name  which  has  come  down  to  us  without  sub- 
mitting to  any  change.  In  fact,  we  find  it  in  botan- 
ical works  called  dims  limon,  or  mala  limonia,  and 
sometimes  citrus  medica.  The  last  was  indefinitely 
used  to  designate  lemon,  citron,  and  orange,  and 
very  often  the  genus  citrus. 

The  orange  appeared  in  Italy  under  the  name  of 
orenges,  which  the  people  modified,  according  to 
the  pronunciations  of  the  different  sections,  into 
arangio,  naranzo,  aranza,  aranzo,  citrone,  cetrangolo, 
melarancio,  melangolo,  arancio.  One  meets  succes- 
.sively  all  these  names  in  works  of  the  thirteenth, 
fourteenth,  and  fifteenth  centuries,  such  as  those  of 
Hugo  Falcandus,  Nicolas  Specialis,  Blondus  Flavius, 
Sir  Brunetto  Latini,  Ciriffo  Calvaneo,  Bencivenni, 
Boccaccio,  Giustiniani,  Leandro  Alberti,  and  several 
others.  The  Proven9als  also  received  this  tree  un- 
der the  name  of  orenges,  and  have  changed  it  from 
time  to  time,  in  different  provinces,  into  arrangt, 
airange,  orenge,  and  finally  orange.  (See  Glossary  of 
the  Roman  Language,  by  Roquefort.) 


170      ORANGE   CULTURE  IN  FLORIDA. 

During  several  centuries  the  Latin  authors  found 
themselves  embarrassed  in  designating  this  fruit, 
which  had  no  name  in  that  language.  The  first 
who  spoke  of  it  used  a  phrase  indicating  its  charac- 
teristics, accompanying  it  with  the  popular  name  of 
arangi,  Latinized  into  orenges,  arangias,  arantium. 

Thus,  Jacques  de  Vitry,  who  calls  the  oranges 
poma  citrina,  adds,  ' '  The  Arabs  call  them  orcngts. 
And  Nicolas  Specialis  designated  them  as  pommes 
aigres  (acripomorum  arbor  es),  observing  that  the 
people  call  them  arangias.  These  have  been  fol- 
lowed by  Blondus  Flavius  and  many  others. 
Matheus  Silvaticus  first  gave  to  the  orange  the  name 
of  citrangulum,  and  this  denomination  seems  to  have 
been  followed  for  a  long  time  by  physicians  and 
translators  of  Arabic  works,  who  have  very  gen- 
erally adopted  it  for  rendering  the  Arabic  word 
arindj. 

Thus,  citrangulum  was  received  for  more  than  a 
century  in  the  language  of  science.  Finally, 
little  by  little,  were  adopted  the  vulgar  Latinized 
names  in  use  among  other  writers,  such  as  authors 
of  chronicles,  etc.,  and  they  have  written  succes- 
sively, arangium,  arancium,  arantium^  anarantium, 
nerantium,  aurantium,  pomcn  aureum.  The  Greeks 
followed  in  the  same  steps.  They  have  either 
Grecianized  the  name  of  narenge,  which  was  in  use 
among  Syrian  Arabs,  or  they  received  it  from  the 
Crusaders  from  the  Holy  Land,  and  have  adopted 
it  in  their  language,  calling  it  ncrantzion.  These 


APPENDIX.  1 7 1 

have,  however,  always  been  considered  vulgar  names, 
and  in  general  the  better  Latin  writers  have  made 
use  of  the  generic  name,  citrus,  for  designating  the 
Agrumi. 

This  usage,  followed  by  most  of  the  writers  on 
history  and  chorography,  often  occasions  uncertainty 
and  difficulty  in  researches  concerning  the  begin- 
ning of  this  culture  in  the  different  countries  where 
these  trees  have  been  introduced.  The  use  of  it  as 
seasoning  for  food,  brought  from  Palestine  to 
Liguria,  to  Provence,  and  to  Sicily,  penetrated  to 
the  interior  of  Italy  and  France.  The  taste  for 
confections  was  propagated  in  Europe  with  the  in- 
troduction of  sugar,  and  this  delicate  food  became 
at  once  a  necessary  article  to  men  in  easy  circum- 
stances, and  a  luxury  upon  all  tables.  It  was, 
above  all,  as  confections  that  the  Agrumi  entered 
into  commerce,  and  we  see  by  the  records  of  Savona 
that  they  were  sent  into  cold  "parts  of  Italy,  where 
people  were  very  greedy  for  them. 

After  having  cultivated  these  species  for  the  use 
made  of  their  'fruits,  they  soon  cultivated  them  as 
ornaments  for  the  gardens.  The  monks  began  to 
fill  with  these  trees  the  courts  of  their  monasteries, 
in  climates  suited  to  their  continual  growth,  and 
soon  one  found  no  convent  not  surrounded  by 
them.  Indeed,  the  courts  and  gardens  of  these 
houses  show  us  now  trees  of  great  age,  and  it  is 
said  that  the  old  tree,  of  which  we  see  now  a  rejeton 
in  the  court  of  the  convent  of  St.  Sabina,  at  Rome, 


172       ORANGE    CULTURE  IN  FLORIDA. 

was  planted  by  St.  Dominic  about  the  year  1 200. 
This  fact  has  no  other  foundation  than  tradition, 
but  this  tradition,  preserved  for  many  centuries, 
not  only  among  the  monks  of  the  convent,  but 
also  among  the  clergy  of  Rome,  is  reported  by 
Augustin  Gallo,  who,  in  1559,  speaks  of  this 
orange  as  a  tree  existing  since  time  immemorial. 
If -we  refuse  to  attribute  its  planting  to  St.  Dominic, 
we  must  at  least  refer  it  to  a  period  soon  after — that 
is,  to  the  end  of  the  thirteenth  century,  at  the 
latest. 

Nicolas  Specialis,  in  the  passage  cited  on  an- 
other page,  in  describing  the  havoc  made  by  the 
besiegers  in  the  suburbs  of  Palermo,  regrets  the 
destruction  of  Grangers,  or  trees  of  sour  apples 
(pommes  aigres),  which  he  regards  as  rare  plants, 
embellishing  the  pleasure-house  of  Cubba. 

Blondus  Flavius,  a  writer  of  the  middle  of  the 
following  century,  speaks  of  the  orange  on  the  coast 
of  Amalfi  (a  city  of  Naples)  as  a  new  plant,  which 
as  yet  had  no  name  in  scientific  language  (Blond. 
Flav. ,  Ital.  Illus. ,  p.  420)  ;  and  he  extols  the  val- 
leys of  Rapallo  and  San  Remo,  in  Liguria,  for  the 
culture  of  the  citrus,  a  rare  tree  in  Italy.  "  Cugus 
ager  (San  Remo),"  these  are  his  words,  "  est  citri, 
palmaquae,  arborum  in  Italia  rarissirarum,  ferax" 
(Blond.  Flav.,  Ital.  Illust..,  p.  296).  Lastly, 
Pierre  de  Crescenzi,  Senator  of  Bologna,  who  wrote 
in  1300  a  treatise  on  agriculture,  speaks  only  of  the 
citron  tree.  We  find  in  his  expressions  no  hint  of 


APPENDIX.  173 

lemon  or  orange.  The  culture  of  these  trees,  then, 
had  been  begun  in  the  fourteenth  century  only 
in  a  few  places,  but  was  extended  in  proportion 
as  arts  and  luxury  advanced  the  civilization  of 
Europe. 

The  orange  was  from  the  first  valued  not  alone 
for  the  beauty  of  its  foliage  and  quality  of  its  fruit, 
of  which  the  juice  was  used  in  medicine,  but  also 
for  the  aroma  of  its  flowers,  of  which  essences  were 
made.  Pharmacists  have  employed  with  success  the 
juice  of  the  lemon  in  making  medicines. 

The  orange  tree  must  have  been  taken  to  Provence 
about  the  time  it  entered  Liguria.  It  is  to  be  pre- 
sumed that  the  city  of  Hyeres,  so  celebrated  for  the 
softness  of  its  climate  and  the  fertility  of  its  soil, 
received  it  from  the  Crusaders,  because  from  this 
port  the  expeditions  to  the  Holy  Land  took  their 
departure.  We  see,  indeed,  that  it  was  greatly 
multiplied  there,  and  in  1566  the  plantations  of 
oranges  within  its  territory  were  so  extensive  and 
well  grown  as  to  present  the  aspect  of  a  forest. 

The  territory  of  Nice,  so  advantageously  placed 
between  Liguria  and  Provence,  would  necessarily 
receive  from  its  neighbors  a  tree  so.  suited  to  the 
softness  of  its  climate,  sheltered  by  the  Alps,  and  to 
the  nature  of  its  soil,  fertilized  by  abundant  waters. 
It  appears  that  the  culture  had  already  greatly  ex- 
tended toward  the  middle  of  the  fourteenth  century, 
as  we  find  in  the  history  of  Dauphiny  that  the  Dau- 
phin Humbert,  returning  from  Naples  in  1336, 


174      ORANGE   CULTURE  IN  FLORIDA. 

bought  at   Nice  twenty  plants   of    orange   trees. 
(Hist,  of  Dauphiny,  bk.- 2,  p.  271.) 

From  Naples  and  Sicily  the  orange  and  lemon 
trees  must  have  been  carried  into  the  Roman  States, 
into  Sardinia  and  Corsica,  and  to  Malta.  The 
islands  of  the  Archipelago  perhaps  first  received 
them,  because,  belonging  in  great  part  to  the 
Genoese  and  Venetians,  it  is  probable  they  were 
the  intermediate  points  whence  the  Crusaders  of 
Genoa  and  Venice  transported  the  plants  to  their 
homes.  From  these  isles  the  trees  afterward 
spread  into  the  delightful  coast  of  Salo  on  the 
shores  of  Lake  Garda,  where,  in  Gallo's  time 
(1559),  they  were  regarded  as  acclimated  from 
time  immemorial.  Finally,  the  orange  and  the 
lemon  penetrated  into  the  colder  latitudes,  and  per- 
haps one  owes  to  the  desire  of  enjoying  their  flow- 
ers and  fruit  the  invention  of  hot-houses,  afterward 
called  orangeries.  (The  name  of  orangerie  is  a 
modern  word  in  the  French  language.  Olivier  de 
Serre  does  not  use  it — he  calls  this  kind  of  in- 
closure  orange-houses  (p.  633).  The  Italian  lan- 
guage has  no  word  responding  precisely  to 
orangery.  We  find  in  some  modern  authors, 
equivalent  words,  such  as  aranciera,  cedroniera, 
atronera.  (Fontana,  Dizionario  rustico,  bk.  i,  p. 
74.)  But  the  ancient  writers  styled  these  places 
for  preserving  these  trees  by  the  phrase,  * '  Stanzone 
per  i  cedri."  In  Tuscany  and  the  Roman  States 
they  call  them  rimesse.  In  other  places  they  are 


APPENDIX.  175 

known  under  the  name  of  serre  (mclosure). 
Matioli  says  that  in  his  time  they  cultivated  the 
oranges  in  Italy  on  the  shores  of  the  sea  and  of  the 
most  famous  lakes,  as  well  as  in  the  gardens  of  the 
interior,  but  he  says  nothing  of  the  places  for  shel- 
tering them.  Gallo  speaks  of  rooms  designed  to 
receive  the  boxes  of  orange  trees,  which  were  very 
numerous  at  Brescia,  but  he  does  not  designate 
them  by  any  particular  name.  The  Latin  writers 
also  used  a  periphrase.  Ferraris  calls  an  orangery 
tectum  hibernum.  Others  call  it  cella  cilraria.} 

This  agricultural  luxury  was  unknown  in  Europe 
before  the  introduction  of  the  citron  tree.  We 
find  not  the  least  trace  of  it  either  in  Greek  or  Latin 
writers. 

It  is  true  that  from  the  time  of  the  Emperor 
Tiberius  in  Rome  they  inclosed  melons  in  certain 
portable  boxes  of  wood,  which  were  exposed  to  the 
sun  in  winter  to  make  the  fruit  grow  out  of  season. 
These  inclosures  were  secured  from  the  effects  ot 
cold  by  sashes  or  frames,  and  received  the  sun's 
rays  through  diaphanous  stones  (specular to),  which 
held  the  place  of  our  glass.  But  it  seems  they  used 
no  fire  for  heating  them,  and  that  they  merely  in- 
closed thus  indigenous  plants,  of  which  they  wished 
to  force  the  fruiting  out  of  season,  it  being  a  spec- 
ulation of  the  cultivator  rather  than  a  luxurious 
ornament  for  embellishing  the  gardens.  (Pliny, 
bk.  19,  chap.  5,  p.  336,  and  Columell,  bk.  2, 
chap.  3,  p.  42.)  It  is  after  the  introduction  of 


I76      ORANGE   CULTURE  IN  FLORIDA. 

the  citron  tree  into  Europe  that  we  begin  to  find 
among  the  ancients  examples  of  artificial  coverings 
and  shelters  against  cold.  Palladius  is  the  first  who 
speaks  of  these  coverings,  but  only  as  appropriate 
for  the  citron,  and  gives  no  description  of  .them. 
Florentin,  who  wrote  probably  after  him,  describes 
them  at  more  length,  and  it  seems  by  his  expres- 
sions that  in  his  time  the  citron  was  covered  in  the 
bad  season  by  wooden  roofs,  which  could  be  with- 
drawn when  there  was  no  occasion  to  defend  them 
from  cold,  and  which  also  could  be  arranged  to 
secure  for  them  the  rays  of  the  sun.  (Florent.,  bk. 
10,  chap.  7,  p.  219.) 

This  agricultural  luxury,  which  began  to  appear 
about  the  time  of  Palladius  and  Florentin,  must 
have  been  entirely  destroyed  in  Italy  by  the  in- 
vasion of  the  barbarians.  I  have  remarked  that 
Pierre  de  Crescenti,  who  wrote  a  treatise  on  agricul- 
ture in  1300,  while  treating  of  the  citron,  speaks 
only  of  walls  to  defend  it  from  the  north,  and  of 
some  covers  of  straw.  Brunsius  and  Antonius, 
quoted  by  Sprengel,  have  thought  to  find  in  the 
Statutes  of  Charlemagne  indications  of  a  hot- 
house. I  have  closely  examined  the  article  cited 
by  those  writers  (in  Comment,  de  reb.  Franc. 
Orient,  bk.  2,  p.  902,  etc.),  but  have  not  found  a 
word  that  could  make  me  believe  this  means  of 
preserving  delicate  plants  was  employed  at  that 
period.  I  have  even  remarked  that  in  these  ordi- 
nances many  plants  are  named  which  Charlemagne 


APPENDIX.  177 

wished  to  have  in  his  fields,  but  no  word  to  be  con- 
strued into  ordering  a  shelter  for  any,  unless  the 
fig  and  almond.  It  is  astonishing  that,  having 
spoken  in  detail  of  all  the  parts  of  the  house,  of 
laboring  utensils  the  most  ordinary,  and  even  of 
those  of  housekeeping,  he  forgot  an  object  of  such 
great  luxury  as  a  hot-house.  But  in  proportion  as 
civilization  and  commerce  increased  riches  and  ex- 
travagance, the  fruit  of  this  tree  became  more 
sought  for,  and  at  the  same  time  more  common  ; 
while,  above  all,  the  properties  of  the  new  species 
just  introduced  extended  its  use  in  medicine,  in 
agreeable  drinks,  and  as  a  luxury  of  the  table.  At 
first  they  were  in  cold  countries  only  a  foreign  pro- 
duction procured  from  the  South,  but  afterward  the 
people  began  to  covet  from  the  more  happy  climates 
the  ornament  of  these  trees,  and  to  wish,  above  all, 
to  embellish  with  them  their  gardens.  In  temper- 
ate climes  they  -began  to  cultivate  them  in  vases, 
depositing  them  during  winter  in  caves  ;  and  in  the 
cold  latitudes  the  necessity  of  struggling  against  na- 
ture gave  the  idea  of  constructing  apartments  which 
could  be  heated  at  pleasure  by  fire,  and  which 
would  shelter  the  plants  from  the  rigor  of  the 
season. 

It  is  difficult  to  fix  the  date  at  which  they  began  to 
build  edifices  for  protection  of  oranges.  The  oldest 
trace  of  it  that  I  have  been  able  to  find  is  furnished 
by  a  passage  in  the  history  of  Dauphiny,  dated  1336. 
(We  find  in  this  history,  printed  at  Geneva  in  1722, 


178      ORANGE   CULTURE  IN  FLORIDA. 

an  extract  from  an  account  of  expenses  made  by 
Humbert,  the  Dauphin,  in  his  voyage  to  Naples  in 
1336.  In  the  expenses  for  the  return  we  see  the 
sum  of  ten  tarins — the  tarin  was  the  thirtieth  part 
of  an  ounce  of  Naples — for  the  purchase  of  twenty 
orange  plants.  "  Item  pro  arboribus  viginti  de 
plantis  arangiorum  ad  plantandum  taren."  X.  Hist, 
of  Daup.,  bk.  2,  p.  276.)  This,  it  is  true,  offers 
few  circumstantial  details  for  fixing  the  fact  that  the 
princes  of  Dauphiny  had  really,  at  that  time,  an 
orangery  ;  but  as  this  historian  tells  us  that  Hum- 
bert bought  at  Nice  twenty  roots  of  oranges  for  a 
plantation  (ad plantandum),  it  is  to  be  supposed  that 
he  had  in  his  palace  at  Vienna  a  place  designed  to 
preserve  them  in  the  winter  ;  for  without  this  pre- 
caution they  certainly  would  have  perished  in  the 
rigorous  climate  of  Dauphiny  (in  the  south-west  part 
of  France. ) 

This  luxury  must  have  passed"  immediately  into 
the  capital  of  France,  and  though  I  have  not  yet 
found  in  history  indications  of  these  establishments 
before  1500,  it  is  very  probable  that  they  were 
known  there  about  the  middle  of  the  fourteenth 
century. 

The  celebrated  tree,  preserved  still  in  the  orangery 
at  Versailles  under  the  name  of  Francis  First,  or 
Grand  Bourbon,  was  taken  from  the  Constable  of 
Bourbon  in  the  seizure  made  of  his  goods  in  1523. 
And  this  prince,  who,  it  is  said,  possessed  it  for 
eighty  years,  could  not  have  kept  it  except  in  an 


APPENDIX.  179 

orangery.  (The  orange  tree  at  Versailles,  known 
as  Francis  Premier,  is  the  most  beautiful  tree  that  I 
have  seen  in  a  box.  It  is  twenty  feet  high,  and 
extends  its  branches  to  a  circumference  of  forty  feet. 
Spite  of  that,  I  scarcely  believe  that  this  fine  stalk 
dates  from  the  fourteenth  century.  It  is  too  vigorous, 
and  the  skin  is  too  smooth,  to  be  able  to  count  so 
many  years.  It  is  probable  that  in  so  long  a  course 
of  time  it  has  been  cut,  and  that  the  present  tree  is 
a  sprout  from  the  old  root.  This  might  have  oc- 
curred after  the  frost  of  1 709,  which  penetrated  even 
into  sheltered  places.  One  circumstance  gives 
foundation  to  this  conjecture.  This  tree  is  com- 
posed of  two  stalks,  which  both  come  out  of  the 
earth,  and  have  a  common  stock.  This  is  never  the 
way  the  tree  grows  by  nature,  still  less  in  a  state  of 
culture,  and  from  roots  held  in  vases.  I  have 
mostly  remarked  it  in  the  greater  number  of  trees 
growing  upon  a  stump  which  had  been  razeed  at 
the  level  of  the  ground.  In  such  case  one  is  forced 
to  leave  two  suckerst  because  the  sap,  being  very 
abundant,  could  not  develop  itself  in  one  shoot. 
It  would  experience  a  sort  of  reaction,  which  would 
suffocate  the  stump  and  make  it  parish.  This  is  a 
well-known  fact  in  the  South,  where  we  cultivate 
largely  the  orange,  and  where  the  trees  of  double 
stems  are  generally  recognized  as  rejetons,  or  suck- 
ers from  old  roots. ) 

After  all  these  data  we  are  authorized  to  think 
that  in  the  fourteenth  century  they  had  begun  already 


i8o      ORANGE   CULTURE  IN  FLORIDA. 

to  erect  buildings  designed  to  create  for  exotic  plants 
an  artificial  climate.  But  at  the  beginning  of  the 
fifteenth  century  orangeries  passed  from  kings'  gar- 
dens to  those  of  the  people,  chiefly  in  countries 
where  they  were  not  compelled  to  heat  them  by  fire, 
as  in  Brescia,  Romagna,  and  Tuscany.  (See  Matioli, 
who  says  that  in  his  day  the  orange  was  cultivated  in 
Italy,  in  all  the  gardens  of  the  interior,  where  cer- 
tainly it  could  not  live,  unless  in  orangeries  (Diosc. 
c.  132).  We  also  find  in  Sprengel's  History  of  Bot- 
any that  in  this  country  there  were  at  that  time 
many  botanical  gardens  where  they  cultivated 
exotic  plants — a  circumstance  which  presupposes 
the  necessity  of  hot-houses. ) 

About  the  middle  of  the  seventeenth  century  this 
luxury  was  very  general,  and  we  see  distinguished 
by  their  magnificence  and  grandeur  the  orangeries 
of  the  Farnese  family  at  Parma  ;  of  the  Cardinal 
Xantes  ;  Aldobrandini  and  Pio,  at  Rome  ;  of  the 
Elector  Palatine  at  Heidelberg  (Oliv.  de  Sen,  p. 
633)  >  °f  Louis  XIII.  in  France  ;  and  even  at 
Ghent,  in  Belgium,  that  of  M.  de  Hellibusi,  who 
imported  plants  from  Genoa,  and  carried  his  estab- 
lishment to  the  last  degree  of  magnificence.  (See 
Ferraris,  p.  150,  where  he  describes  the  orangery  of 
M.  de  Hellibusi  at  Ghent,  and  that  of  Louis  XIII. 
at  Paris.  The  latter  has  been  replaced  by  that  of 
Versailles,  of  which  the  magnificence  renders  it 
perhaps  the  finest  monument  of  this  kind  to  be 
found  in  Europe.) 


APPENDIX. 


181 


We  now  see  orangeries  in  all  the  civilized  parts 
of  Europe,  it  being  an  embellishment  necessary  to 
all  country-seats  and  houses  of  pleasure. 


COMMENDATIONS. 

"  We  consider  it  the  best  work  on  orange  culture  j'et 
published,  as  it  is  plain,  practical,  and  easily  understood, 
and  is  the  result  of  close  observation  and  careful  experi- 
ment. It  is  a  hand-book  which  every  one  engaging  in  the 
orange  culture  will  find  of  the  greatest  value,  and  if  its 
directions  are  carefully  followed,  the  new-beginner  will 
be  as  sure  of  success  as  the  oldest  culturist.  The  price 
is  one  dollar,  which  may  be  considered  as  high  for  a 
book  of  its  size,  but  which  will  save  many  dollars  in 
time  and  money  to  every  new-beginner  in  oarnge  plant- 
ing. ' ' —  The  Semi-  Tropical. 

"  EDITOR  EASTERN  HERALD  : 

>  "  In  your  last  issue  you  inserted  a  paragraph  copied 
from  the  Sun  and  Press,  relative  to  a  book  on  orange 
culture,  which  will  soon  make  its  appearance,  written  by 
Rev.  T.  W.  Moore,  of  Fruit  Cove. 

"  Mr.  Moore  has  over  fifty  acres  in  fruits  of  various 
kinds,  and  has  practically  demonstrated  all  theories  ad- 
vanced in  his  work. 

"  I  had  the  privilege  of  reading  several  chapters  of 
this  work  some  weeks  ago,  and  as  far  as  my  experience 
in  orange  culture  goes,  can  heartily  indorse  it. 

"  I  think  it  excels  any  other  work  which  has  been  writ- 
ten on  this  subject,  as  a  guide  to  new-comers  who  in- 
tend engaging  in  the  cultivation  of  the  orange  on  the  St. 
Johns.  To  all  such  I  recommend  it. 

"  Respectfully  yours, 

"W.  C.   HARGROVE." 


COMMENDATIONS.  183 

Mr.  H.,  of  Palatka,  has  been  one  of  our  most  success- 
ful culturists,  and  skilled  as  he  is,  he  says  "  he  has 
learned  many  things  of  value  from  the  book." 

"  The  author  gives  every  step  from  the  planting  of  the 
seed  through  all  the  stages  of  growth  and  manipulation, 
till  the  tree  is  at  full  bearing  age.  I  feel  certain  that 
this  little  book  is  destined  to  work  a  vast  change  in  the 
manner  of  treating  the  orange  tree,  and  the  new-comer 
will  find  in  it  directions,  plainly  given,  which  will  en- 
able him  to  go  at  once  to  work  in  the  right  way  to  make 
an  orange  grove." — The  East  Florida  Banner. 

Mr.  A.  I.  Bidwell,  of  the  Arlington  Nursery,  and  one 
of  the  most  successful  and  reliable  in  Florida,  says  : 
"  I  heartily  recommend  it  to  all  my  correspondents  ask- 
ing information  on  orange  growing." 

Mr.  Pillow,  a  successful  orange  grower  near  Manda- 
rin, and  horticulturist  from  Rochester,  N.  Y.,  says  : 
•"  If  I  could  have  had  such  a  book  when  beginning  to 
grow  oranges,  it  would  have  saved  me  over  a  hundred 
dollars." 

Mr.  Greenleaf,  jeweller,  of  Jacksonville,  and  who  is  im- 
proving one  of  the  largest  wild  groves  in  the  State,  says  : 
"  The  book,  if  I  could  have  had  it  one  year  ago,  would 
have  saved  me  a  thousand  dollars." 

Mr.  Bishop,  who  is  president  of  the  Fruit-Growers' 
Association  of  Florida,  and  owner  of  three  of  the  finest 
groves  in  the  State,  says  :  "  It  contains  all  the  informa- 
tion necessary  for  success." 

"  I  have  been  planting  and  cultivating  orange  trees  for 
forty  years,  but  have  learned  more  from  your  book  than 
I  had  done  from  all  my  experience." — Geo.  Acosla,  of 
Mandarin ,  F'a. 


184      ORANGE   CULTURE  IN  FLORIDA. 

"  Best  English  work  ever  published  on  the  subject." — 
Methodist  Quarterly  Review. 

"This  compendious  treatise,  on  a  subject  which  is 
every  year  attracting  wider  attention,  is  recommended 
by  the  State  Bureau  of  Immigration,  and  has  every  ap- 
pearance of  being  written  with  both  candor  and  knowl- 
edge. The  author's  experience  as  an  orange  grower  cov- 
ers a  period  of  more  than  ten  years,  and  his  range  of 
observation  has  included  not  only  the  whole  of  Florida, 
but  nearly  all  the  orange-producing  regions  of  Europe 
and  America.  His  book  furnishes  the  needed  corrective 
to  the  exaggerated  and  somewhat  fantastic  stories  that  in- 
terested parties  now  and  then  set  afloat  through  the  press, 
and  demonstrates— what  every  discriminating  reader 
might  readily  have  guessed — that  in  orange  growing,  as 
in  all  other  occupations,  success  is  the  result,  not  of  blind 
chance,  but  of  patient  and  well-directed  labor.  There 
can  be  no  doubt  that  many  hundreds  of  would-be  orange 
culturists  have  failed  because  they  did  not  know  the  con- 
ditions and  methods  of  success.  To  all  such,  Mr. 
Moore's  treatise  would  have  been  invaluable  ;  and  it  will 
greatly  aid  those  who  may  now  (or  in  future)  be  contem- 
plating a  similar  attempt.  It  contains  precise  and  prac- 
tical information  on  location,  soils,  planting,  budding, 
cultivation,  manures,  packing,  preserving,  and  the  like, 
and  it  is  noticeably  free  from  mere  padding  or  purpose- 
less writing. ' ' — Eclectic  Magazine.  N.  Y- 

~ 


JNO.  T.  TALBOTT,  Agent, 

39  West  Bay  St. 

«EDGEWOOD  ASSOCIATION* 

Ex-Gov.  GEO.  F.  DREW,   President  Maj.  WM.  J.  HARKISHEIMER,  Treas. 

JOHN  T.  TALBOTT,   Secretary. 


„     EDGEWOOD, 

*^ti  Aadition  to 

A   W_J_E  JACKSONVILLE,  FLA. 

£j>  SCALE  OF  MILES 

&  0     *  jf   %     ' 


Plats  of  this  subdi- 
vision are  now  ready 
for  public  distribution. 
Choice  town  lots,  135 
feet  front  by  160  feet 
deep,  $50  and  upward?. 
Garden  lots,  five  acres, 
at  $50  per  acre  and  up- 
wards. 

These  prices  are  tem- 
porary and  will  be  ad- 
vanced from  time  to 
time.  Call  soon  and 
get  first  choice  at  bot- 
tom figures. 

TRUSTEES. 

Major  WM.  J.  HARKIS- 
HEIMER,  Jacksonville. 

J.  R.  CHALLEN,  Esq., 
Attorney,  Jackson- 
ville. 

LOTS,   SIZE    40x100   FEET,    $4.00. 

In  Lakeview,  on  Kingsley  Lake. 

$50  Buys  a  Five  Acre  Tract  for  an  Orange  Grove.     Send  for  Maps,  etc.,  to 
the   Head  Office, 

39  West  Bay  Street,  P.  0.  Box  158,  Jacksonville,  Florida. 

Refer  to  Ex. -Go v.  GEO.  F.  DREW,  Jacksonville, 

Rev.  C.  C.  MCLEAN,  St.  Augustine. 
Hon.  J.  C.  GREELY,  President,  Pres't  Florida  Savings  Bank. 

JOHN  T.  TALBOTT,  Treasurer,  Jacksonville,  Fla. 
Prof.  J.  WILLIS  WESTLAKE,  Vice-President,  Millersville,  Pa. 

CHAS.  H.  SMITH,  Secretary,  Late  of  St.  Louis,  Mo. 

THE  TROPICAL  LAND  CO. 

(INCORPORATED.) 

Owning  8,000  acres  of  choice,  high  rolling  pine  land,  environed  by  eix  beauti- 
ful lakes,  in'Clay  County,  including  the  town  of  LAKE  VIEW,  upon  the  south- 
east shore  of  Kingsley's  Lake. 


Rand  Avery  Supply  Co., 


1 885-4  1st    YEAR. 


ECLECTIC  MAGAZINE 

Cf  Foreign  Literature,  Science,  and  Art, 

The  ECLECTIC  MAGAZINE  reproduces  from  foreign  periodicals  all 
those  articles  which  are  valuable  to  American  readers.  Its  field  of 
selection  embraces  all  the  leading  Foreign  Reviews,  Magazines,  and 
Journals,  and  the  tastes  of  all  classes  of  intelligent  readers  are  con- 
sulted in  the  articles  presented.  Its  plan  includes  Science.  Essays, 
Reriews,  Sketches,  Travels,  Poetry,  Novels,  Short  stories,  etc.,  etc. 

The  following  lists  comprise  the  principal  periodicals  from  which 
selections  are  made  and  the  names  of  some  of  the  leading  writers 
who  contribute  to  them  : 


PERIODICALS. 
QUARTERLY  REVIEW. 
BRITISH  QUARTERLY  REVIEW. 
EDINBURGH  REVIEW. 
WESTMINSTER  REVIEW. 
CONTEMPORARY  REVIEW. 
FORTNIGHTLY  REVIEW. 
THE  NINETEENTH  CENTURY. 
POPULAR  SCIENCE  MONTHLY. 
BLACKWOOD'S  MAGAZINE. 
CORNHILL  MAGAZINE. 
MACMILLAN'S  MAGAZINE. 
LONGMAN'S  MAGAZINE. 
NEW  QUARTERLY  MAGAZINE. 
TEMPLE  BAR. 
BELGRAVIA. 
GOOD  WORDS. 
LONDON  SOCIETY. 
SATURDAY  REVIEW. 
THK  SPECTATOR,  ETC.,  ETC. 


AUTHORS. 

RT.  HON.  W.  E.  GLADSTONE. 
ALFRED  TENNYSON. 
PROFESSOR  HUXLEY. 
PROFESSOR  TVNDALL. 
RICHARD  A.  PROCTOR,  B.A. 
J.  NORMAN  LOCKYER,  F.R.S. 
DR.  W.  B.  CARPENTER. 
E.  B.  TYLOR. 
PROF.  MAX  MULLER. 
PROFESSOR  OWEN. 
MATTHEW  ARNOLD. 
E.  A.  FREEMAN,  D.C.L. 
JAMES  ANTHONY  FROUDE. 
THOMA-S  HUGHES. 
THOMAS  HARDY. 
WILLIAM  BLACK. 
MRS.  OLIPHANT. 
TURGENIEFF. 
Miss  THACKERAY,  ETC.,  ETC. 


STEEL    ENGRAVINGS, 

The  Eclectic  comprises  each  year  two  large  volumes  of  over  1700 
pages.  Each  of  these  volumes  contains  a  fine  Fteel  engraving, 
which  adds  much  to  the  attraction  of  the  magazine. 

The  aim  of  the  Eclectic  is  be  instructive  and  not  sensational, 
and  it  commends  itself  particularly  to  that  class  of  intelligent  readers 
who  desire  to  keep  abreast  of  the  intellectual  progress  of  the  age. 

TERMS. — Single  copies,  45  cents  ;  one  copy,  one  year,  $5; 
five  copies,  $20.  Trial  subscription  for  three  months,  $i.  The 
ECLECTIC  and  any  $4  magazine,  $8. 

E.  R.  PELTON,  Publisher,  25  Bond  Street,  New  York. 


OWN  A  HOME  IN  FLORIDA. 


Secure  a  Lot  at  Present  Low  Prices. 


PARKERSBURG,  MARION  COUNTY,  FLORIDA. 

Lots  50  feet  front,  facing  on  60-foot  Avenue,  and  125  feet  deep,  running  back  to  a  20- 
foot  Alley. 

No  wet  land  at  Parkersburg— every  lot  hi.'h  and  dry. 

Buy  a  Home  in  the  Highlands  of  Marion  County. 

No  marshes  or  swamps  near  to  cause  sickness. 

Health,  the  greatest  boon  of  existence,  promoted  by  residence  amid  the  balsamic  odors 
of  the  pine  forests  at  Parkersburg. 

Choice  Lots  at  Popular  Prices. 

Twenty-five  per  cent,  of  all  sales  devoted  to  town  improvements— thus  one-fourth  of 
all  money  you  pay  the  Company  goes  back  toward  improving  your  neighborhood. 

Parkersburat  has  Five  Parks— a  fine  lot  facing  on  a  Park  for  Fifty  Dollars. 

Corner  Lots  having  a  total  frontage  of  175  feet  for  Twenty  Dollars. 

Popular  Prices  for  Inside  Lots— Ten  Dollars. 

FULL  WARRANTY   DEEDS  FOR  ALL    LOTS    PUR- 
CHASED. 

Titles  Perfect,  coming  direct  from  the  United  States  Government  to  our  President  as 
TrufctM 

Present  Prices  only  temporary— now  it  the  time  to  buy. 

Taxes  w  11  not  be  due  until  December,  1886,  and  then  will  be  only  a  few  cents  on  a  Lot. 

The  new  City  of  Parkersburg  is  owned  by  THE  PARKERSBURG  FLORIDA  LAND  COM 
PAKY,  incorporated  under  the  Laws  of  Florida.  Business  men  of  Jacksonville, 
Fla.,  and  Parkersburg,  W.  Va.,  compose  the  Company,  and  all  their  business  will 
bc5  conducted  strictly  on  the  square  ;  any  deviation  from  this  will  not  be  tolerated 
by  the  management,  Any  lot  proving  to  be  not  as  represented  will  be  at  once 
taken  back  and  money  refunded. 

Real  Estate  is  the  most  solid  of  investments— banks  may  break,  trusted  agents  may 
prove  false,  panics  may  prevail — but  every  dollar  judiciously  invested  in  Real 
Estate  is  safe. 

A  present  of  a  Parkersburg  Lot  to  your  son  or  your  daughter  n-.ay  prove  a  strong  incen- 
tive to  thrift,  and  be  the  foundation  of  a  snug  little  fortune.  Try  it. 

A  Parkersburg  Lot  as  a  birth-day  present  is  a  fine  idea — it-is  sure  to  be  acceptable. 

Send  your  money  for  a  Lot  in  Parkersburg  to  your  local  agent,  or  to  the  Head  Office  in 
Jacksonville,  Fla. 

MAPS    AND    FULL,    INFORMATION    ON    APPLI- 
CATION. 

Choice  Orange  Grove  Land  in  5  and  10-acre  tracts,  close  by  Parkersburg,  may  be  pnr- 
chased  from  the  Company. 


Address,  W.  B.  CLARKSON,  General  Manager, 

Office:   72%   West   Bay  Street,  Jacksonville,    Florida. 


BAYARD  AND  SWEETWATER. 

Two  Prosperous  Towns  between  Jacksonville  and  St,  Augustine, 

Judge  A.  O.  Wright,  of  this  city,  has  devoted  the  past  year  to  developing  the  highlands  on  the 
east  side  of  St.  Johns  river,  along  the  route  of  the  Jacksonville,  St.  Augustine  and  Halifax  River  Rail- 
way, has  established  two  towns,  and  is  arranging  for  otheri.  Being  the  land  commissioner  of  that  rail- 
road he  has  had  special  advantages  in  locating  the  most  desirable  points.  In  January  last  he  Usrted  the 
town  of  Bayard,  and  to-day  it  numbers  sixty  souls.  It  has  two  stores,  three  boarding-houses,  a  post- 
office,  two  saw-mills,  and  'a  public  school.  People  are  moving  in  from  everywhere.  Lots  of  125x170 
feet,  sold  only  to  actual  settlers.  It  is  very  high,  and  drainage  is  perfect.  Only  eight  miles  from 
"  Old  Ocean.''  Half  an  hour  from  Jacksonville,  and  less  than  an  hour  from  St.  Augustine.  Pure  air, 
pure  drinking  w»te  ,  good  soil,  good  grass.  Ozone  fills  the  air,  and  asthmatics  instantly  relieved 
by  its  dry,  balmy  atmosphere.  An  orange  grove  on  this  place,  the  land  was  cleared  in  January,  1884, 
orange  trees  transplanted  in  February,  1884;  these  trees  bore  oranges  last  year,  and  are  loaded  with 
oranges  this  year,  and  not  an  ounce  of  fertilizers  used.  Six  trains  pass  througnt  Bayard  daily. 


SWEETWATER. 

This  place  half  a  mile  north  of  Bayard,  started  September  10th,  of  this  year,  lots  40x100  feet,  joins 
Bayard,  and   the   land  is   if  anything  higher   aad   lays   better.     Lots  $5  and  $6,  cash  or  instalment, 
selling.      All   labor  needed   can   be   nad  at  very   low  rates.      No  restriction  as   to  settlement.     T 
neighborsclub  together  and  buy  ablock.     Nice  high  lots  guaranteed  to  all  who  leave  the  selection  t< 
"'orida  when  you  have  here,  within  half  an  hour's  ride   of  Florida's  metr 


ettlement.     Let 

K>  him. 
^  o.  __  __  _          in  half  an  hour's  ride   of  Florida's  metropolis 

all  the  conditions  necessary  to  raising  tropical  fruits.  Mrs.  Stowe's  winter  home  at  Mandarn  is  six 
miles  west.  From  that  point  15,000,000  oranges  are  shipped  every  year.  Frosts  do  not  kill  the  trees. 
The  oldest  orange  trees  '  ™-"  ~"L-  ' 


Florida  are  within  two  miles  of  Sweetwater. 


BAYARD  FARMS. 

These  range  in  size  from  4  to  40  acres  and  lay  in  and  around  Bayard  and  Sweetwater  and  are  just 
the  thing.  Seven  hundred  dollars  was  made  in  one  acre  of  Strawberries  here  this  summer.  These 
farms  are  worth  $20  per  acre  and  upward.  Maps,  etc.,  furnished  on  application.  Address  A.  O 
Wright,  24  E.  Bay,  Jacksonville,  Fla. 

Bayard  and  Sweetwater,  are  six  miles  east  of  Dr.  T.  W.  Moore's  Orange  Grove  at  Fruit  Cove,  and 
it  is  here  where  people  from  his  neighborhood  come  to  take  the  train  for  St.  Augutsine  or  Jacksonville. 


ECLECTIC  GALLERY 

OF 

jfine  Steel  )£n0ravinos. 

For  the  Portfolio,  Scrap-Book,  Framing,  or  for  Illustration. 

Beautifully  engraved  on  Steel,  having  appeared  in  the  ECLEC- 
TIC Magazine  during  past  years,  and  embracing  portraits  of  nearly 
every  distinguished  man  of  the  past  and  present  century.  Our  list 
includes  portraits  of 

Historians,  Poets,  Artists,  Warriors, 

Philosophers,  Emperors,  Kings,  Statesmen, 
Historic  and  Ideal  Pictures,  etc.,  etc. 

COMPRISING 

325  DIFFERENT  SUBJECTS. 

The  engravings  are  numbered  on  the  Catalogue  to  aid  in  se- 
lection, so  that  persons  giving  orders  need  only  indicate  the  figures 
opposite  the  engraving  selected. 

They  are  printed  on  fine  paper,  10x12  inches,  and  are  sent  by 
mail  or  express,  prepaid,  on  receipt  of  price.  We  furnish  ne.at 
cloth  cases  or  portfolios,  holding  from  ten  to  fifty  engravings. 

PRICES. 
Engravings  1O   cents  each,  or  $7.5O  per  1OO' 

5  Engravings $O  5O 

12  Engravings 1  OO 

fort  folios  each.         5O 

fort  folio  and  IS  Engravings ISO 

•*  "25  "  2  25 

"  /«     5O  "  4  OO 

We  will  make  selections  of  the  Engravings  to  be  sent  when- 
ever required,  or  the  purchaser  can  select  for  himself. 

Send  postage  stamp  for  Catalogue,  and  make  selection  for 
port'olio,  scrap-book,  or  handsomely  bound  volume  for  centre- 
table. 

Catalogue  sent  to  any  address. 

E.  E.  PELTcm,  PUBLISHER, 

25  Bond  Street,  New  York. 


HORACE    DREW, 

59  and  61  West  Bay  Street, 

JACKSONVILLE,    FLORIDA, 

WHOLESALE 


,  STATIONERY, 


AND 


Printing,   Ruling  and  Binding. 


COMPLETE   CATALOGUE  OF 

FLORIDA    BOOKS 

MAILED  ON  APPLICATION. 


RETURN  TO  the  circulation  desk  of  any 
University  of  California  Library 
or  to  the 

NORTHERN  REGIONAL  LIBRARY  FACILITY 
Bldg.  400,  Richmond  Field  Station 
University  of  California 
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ALL  BOOKS  MAY  BE  RECALLED  AFTER  7  DAYS 
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DUE  AS  STAMPED  BELOW 


NOV  1  8  1988 


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g  3  ?.g87 


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Me 


